


Humanity's Last Hope

by Valar_Ipradtis



Category: Percy Jackson & The Olympians (Movies), Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Amazon Sex Slave AU, Apocalypse, Breeding AU, F/M, Harem, Hunters of Artemis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-22 17:43:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17064248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valar_Ipradtis/pseuds/Valar_Ipradtis
Summary: With most men dead and only a few groups of women scattered around the world, humanity has fallen from its throne. Wildlife and animals now rule the world, monsters roam the lands, and it was all the hunters can do to just survive and continue. The day they captured Percy, they saw hope again. Amazon sex slave AU. Set in ancient times. PercyxHuntersxOCs. (Slight Harem).





	1. Historia

Percy cracked an eye open at the sound of footsteps approaching. The boots rang quietly against the snowy grounds of the woods outside, but Percy’s keen ears were capable of picking up a faint whisper from a mile away. Judging from the silence, Percy guessed it was late into the night as the rest of the camp must’ve retired for the day. He shifted his position slightly in an attempt to alleviate the cramps that developed in his body. Percy had learned long ago that struggling only made things worse as the ropes would dig further into his skin. Instead, he wiggled his fingers slightly to regain circulation and the feeling in his hands. Being strapped to a metal pole with your arms tied behind your back was a terrible feeling. Percy alternated between sitting and standing to keep his joints from stiffening up.

He wore a thin white long sleeved tunic that, by now, was neither white, nor clothing really. Dirt marks stained much of the torso, turning it into a dark shade of brown. Several drops of red dotted the fabric, blood so old that it had blackened and formed crusty patches along the shirt. The sleeves and body were all ripped, barely hanging by the threads. In fact, the tunic exposed more of Percy’s body than it covered. Below, he wore a pair of baggy pants that were matted with blood. A cold breeze blew through, and the walls of the tent did nothing in attempt to stop the winds. Percy was used to the cold by now. This would not be the first night he beared a snowstorm without any real clothes.

The footsteps sounded much closer now, and Percy tried to get a better sense of his surroundings before they burst through the flaps of the tent. His vision was still slightly unclear, and a taste of iron remained in his mouth, courtesy of his last visitor. She had been especially angry that day, and in turn more violent than usual with him. I guess it’s not just her today, Percy thought, as he heard another pair of footsteps following the first one. This one quieter, and less aggressive.

The footsteps came to a stop outside of his tent, as if hesitating to enter. Two muffled voices sounded from the other side, one authoritative and demanding, while the other was quiet. The argument ended in favor of the prior. Slowly the flap to the tent was lifted to the side, allowing a sliver of moonlight to shine through and strike Percy across the face. Despite his situation, Percy felt a sense of calm wash over him at seeing the moon. He hadn’t been outside of this tent for weeks.

Percy turned his attention back to the silhouette of the girl that first stepped through but saw something off about the figure. She stood much shorter than what he expected. Her shoulders were hunched, perhaps from insecurity, as opposed to the confidence his usual visitor displays. The girl was given a slight shove as she stumbled further into the tent, allowing the flap to fall back into place before it was jerked wildly to the side again, and a second figure stepped through.

That was who Percy was expecting, his most common visitor, as well as the most violent. She gave Percy a smirk, but he only stared back defiantly. Despite the uncomfortableness of being tied to the pole in the middle of the tent, Percy stood unmoving, refusing to be broken by the woman. She went around the tent, and lit the fire using a piece of flint. Light soon filled the entire tent, and Percy squinted his eyes slightly to adjust to the new brightness.

When he finally recovered, she had disappeared from his sight, leaving only the other figure still clinging to the shadows of the tent. Suddenly, Percy felt a cold hand wrap firmly around his neck from behind, and another hand began roaming his muscled chest through the torn collar of his shirt. Her face hover next to his right ear, and she whispered, “Did you miss me already?”

Percy, however, was unaffected by her antics. “What do you want, Atalanta?” Percy grunted through her hold, which was tightening around his neck.

Percy’s struggle only encouraged Atalanta. She licked her way up the side of his jaw until she reached his mouth. The she closed her lips around his and forced her way into his mouth running her tongue along him. She moaned into the kiss, as if savoring a taste she so lusted after. Percy closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the sensation, doing everything he could within his power to frustrate his aggressor. Atalanta hated when Percy was unresponsive. But no matter how stony Percy kept his face, he couldn’t help the hardness that started growing within his pants. When she finally broke the kiss, there was a hint of anger that was aflame within her eyes. She responded to Percy’s stoicism with a hard slap across his right cheek, the hunter’s ring on her finger cutting a gash below his eye.

“You know what I want.” Atalanta gave a low growl, grabbing Percy by the jaw. She licked her lips at the sight of blood being drawn. Like a shark, a hint of blood only made her hungry for more. However, she managed to control her appetite this time, “But this isn’t about me today. Someone else is here for you, and you’re going to be the obedient little boy I know you are.” Atalanta said, giving Percy a couple pats on his cheek.

Even from the shadows, Percy could tell the other girl visibly stiffened at Atalanta’s words. She seemed to shrink further into herself as she inched closer towards the exit. “Come over here, Historia. There’s nothing to be afraid of, he won’t bite.” Atalanta urged as she gagged Percy with a piece of cloth. “See, he’s just a harmless little toy.”

She must be one of the new hunters, Percy thought.

Slowly the little girl stepped out of the shadow, and Percy finally got a good look at her. Seeing the innocent girl before him, he guessed that she couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old. She was wearing the standard hunter uniform, a silver hunter’s dress that ended above the knees, black leather pants, and knee high silver boots. She had long blond hair flowed silkily down the sides of her head, framing her face. Her eyes had a light blue color, giving her an innocent, angelic appearance. Even as she tried to hide it, Percy saw the tear marks on her cheeks as she inched towards Percy reluctantly. As she got closer, Atalanta reached out to grab her hand and tugged her right up against Percy.

Atalanta then reached down to the Historia’s ear and whispered loudly so both she and Percy can hear, “Remember what Lady Artemis said now, Historia. You have to carry out your duty to the Hunt. Each hunter is required to bed with little Percy right here once they are flowered.”

Historia only nodded hesitantly, with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

“Just remember whatever happens, do not untie little Percy here. Took more than ten of us to bring him back when he escaped the first time. We don’t want a breed like him to get away do we? You can imagine how hard it is to find a man like him these days.” Atalanta asked.

Historia shook her head obediently, scared of what the older girl will do.

“Good girl.” Atalanta gave her a pat on the head and began to walk away. Before she exited the tent, Atalanta said over her shoulder, “You know what the consequences will be if we find your maidenhood still intact in the morning, Historia. Getting to spend the whole night with Percy here, I’m almost jealous of you.”

Atalanta stepped out of the tent, and Percy could hear her laughter ring out through the quiet night. The echoes sounded through the night until they were drowned out by the howling winds. The only sound from within the tent was the gentle sniffling of Historia’s cries as she tried to hold her tears at bay. She was still leaning up against Percy unconsciously, too afraid to make any movements. The slight shivers of her shoulders, whether from fear or the cold, broke Percy’s heart. No girl should have to go through this, not even the hunters.

After a while, Historia finally stopped her crying. The heat from Percy’s body warmed her heart, shielding her from the cold. When she noticed her position pressed up against another body, she gave a small squeak and jumped back away from Percy. Her doe eyed look making Percy want to take her within his arms and protect her from the cruel world. Historia looked into Percy’s eyes and saw a small smile on his face that only reflected sadness and understanding. He had come to accept his situation, at having to be a breeding stallion for the rest of his days. While Percy certainly didn’t mind bedding the woman of the hunt, who were certainly beautiful, it was the ones like Atalanta who sought the twisted pleasures in torture and pain. For some hunters, their hatred of mankind and their duty made them violent towards Percy in turn. But he endured and survived whereas others would have died long ago.

Percy heard a small gasp and saw Historia looking at his face is slight horror. “You’re still bleeding,” she said. Percy barely registered the words that flowed out of her mouth. Her voice had been so beautiful, it soothed his soul despite his conditions. Her voice was that of an angel’s, and with her appearance, Percy truly believed he was looking at a young goddess.

Percy tried to make a reassuring sound, he was long used to the bleeding. Especially after Atalanta’s visits. But the gag in his mouth muffled his voice, and instead, he made a soft grunt. Historia immediately walked up close to Percy once again, and began tearing at the bottom her her brown dress. Percy’s eyes widened at her actions.

“I’m sorry, all I have is this dirty cloth.” Historia said, as she pressed the fabric against Percy’s cut, creating a makeshift bandage. “Does it still hurt?”

Percy gave a small shake of his head, amazed at the kindness of the girl. If only the rest of the hunters had all been like her. A comfortable silence developed between them as Historia held up the bandage to Percy’s face. They just stayed like that for a while, enjoying the peace that they shared for the moment. Historia peaked up at Percy occasionally, and blushed as their eyes met each time. Percy couldn’t help but smile at the adorable girl next to him. His height made it so that he towered above her. Even with his restraints preventing him from standing up to his full height, he’d be able to fully rest his chin on top of her head if he wished.

“Will you hurt me if I removed your gag?” Historia asked shyly, looking at at Percy. He gave her a small shake of his head and a look to reassure her fears. Despite meeting Percy for the first time, Historia felt as if she could trust this stranger. Slowly, she removed the gag from Percy’s mouth and threw it to the side. Percy adjusted his jaw slightly, trying to rid the soreness from the gag.

“I’m sorry.” Percy whispered softly, “I’m sorry that you have to be put through this.” He truly pitied the girl, but there was no one to blame for their situation. It wasn’t Atalanta’s fault, or the hunter’s for that matter. It was the cruel world they found themselves in, where the few men left in this world are the only chance at humanities survival.

Humans will continue to fight one another, a famous Commander once said, until one day there’s one human or less. Our generation almost saw to that. The Great Wars had killed millions, leaving the rest of the world in pieces. Just when a peace was finally reached and the conflicts came to a stop, humanity faced its ultimate challenge. No one could have ever imagined the species that dominated the Earth ever since it existence would be brought to its knees so easily. The Plague finished the job that humanity itself started. Aptly named, the “Man-Killer,” it wiped out most of the male population in less than three days. Almost all men were killed within hours of contact with the plague, their own seed turning poisonous from the disease, killing them from the inside. However, there were a few special men who appeared to be immune to the poison. Their seed seemed unaffected by the plague and were able to reproduce children, although the rates of conceiving a child were so low, they were nigh impossible.

“I’m sorry for you too.” Historia said. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if seeking comfort, “You shouldn’t be treated like that.”

“I’m their captive, they do whatever they please to their slave.” Percy said. Seeing Historia’s sad look, he tried optimistically, “It’s not all that bad. I get fed, clothed, washed. Some girls are even kind, just like you. They tend to my wounds, make sure I’m still alive.” Percy gave her an convincing smile.

The winds blew through the tents once again, the storm howling through the night outside. Percy’s shirt flowed in the wind, the large tears giving Historia a good look at his torso. She covered her mouth in shock at what she saw. Angry, red marks of flesh stood against his pale skin, screaming at her. She hesitantly reached out with her hand and shakily lifted his tunic from the bottom to get a better look.

Historia did all she could to prevent hurling. Mangled lines of flesh marked Percy’s sculpted torso. Red streaks ran from shoulder to opposite hip in a criss-cross formation. Some faded to a deep purple scar, some still fresh with bright red blood. Tears spilled from Historia’s eyes once again, this time for the treatment of Percy.

“Wh-who did this to you?” Historia asked shakily. She had always admired the hunter’s strength, ever since they found her and her sister alone in the world. But to think that even they, who treated her with such kindness, could be so cruel to a man, it shattered Historia’s heart.

Percy let his head droop, not wanting to expose this innocent girl to even more of the horrors of this world. “Mostly just some of the older hunters, the ones that never let go of their hatred towards men. Most of them seem to like whips as their favorite toy.” Percy said in a tone that no longer reflected any misery, only acceptance. “I suppose I should be flattered, with how often they come to visit me, even without their Lady’s orders.”

Percy closed his eyes and waited for Historia to do her duty, like the rest of her sisters. Though he supposed she would be kinder than the rest of them, and perhaps he would enjoy his time with her. However, he opened his eyes when he felt a strange tug of the bindings on his wrist. Percy turned his neck slightly, as much as his restraints would allow, to see Historia cutting at the ropes with one of her hunter’s knives.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Percy asked, confused at Historia’s actions. “Historia?”

Historia only continued to work away at Percy’s binding in silence. Before long, Percy was finally free of his bonds. “Go now! A night’s head start won’t get you far from the hunters, but the woods will give you the best chance of escape.”

Percy froze, still in disbelief at Historia’s actions. She gave him a slight shove towards the outside of the tent. “Hurry! Run and don’t turn back. They’ll never let you out of their sight again if they catch you. Go!” Historia urged.

Percy looked into Historia’s eyes and saw a look of determination and strength. He could barely manage a “thank you” before his voice choked in his town tears. He had been in captive for so long, he believed he’d live the rest of his life enslaved. Percy slowly got up and stumbled awkwardly to the tent flap, his legs forgetting how to move after being tied for so long.

Percy finally made it outside the tent and saw the beautiful night sky. It was lit with stars, bringing back memories of years past, before the world had gone to shit. He and his mother would often go to the sandy shores of the sea and stare up at the sky. He felt the same calming feeling as he did back then. Although the cold winds chilled Percy to the bone, his heart was pounding at the idea of freedom at last.

As Percy sprinted through the woods, thoughts flickered through his head, making him stumble on the dense underbrush. He had tried clearing his thoughts by imagining seeing the ocean again, as that’s where he’d always felt at home. However, no matter how hard he tried, his mind were filled with visions of a blonde angel.

* * *

As Historia watched Percy stumble out of the camp, she collapsed onto her knees with the loose untied ropes still held in her grasp. She was at a loss for what to do. She fully understood the consequence of her own actions, but she had never been able to watch others in suffering.

Historia had been raised on a farm. A young orphan who didn’t have any blood relatives, brought up by a caretaker who never said more than three words to her. As a result, Historia grew up very lonely, with only the farm animals as her company. She learned how to care for the animals and hated to see anything under her care to be hurt.

When she turned seven, a young woman came to visit the farm, and she approached Historia with a friendly smile. She spent the afternoon teaching Historia how to read, and by night time, Historia had grew to love her like a sister. She had introduced herself as Freida, and Historia had hoped to see her again soon and often.

Freida continued to visit every week, and after a month, she had decided to tell Historia the truth of the story of her family. They were, in fact, truly sisters by blood. Historia had been so delighted at the time, she didn’t bother to care when Freida had made the distinction of half-sister as they only shared a father. Turns out her father was a noble man, a regional lord, and Historia had been the result of an illegitimate affair with his maid. To keep her hidden from the public, he had shipped her off to a farm along with her mother. That night, Historia found out that both her parents were actually alive. Her father, whom she’d never met before, and her mother, who was her cruel caretaker, neither of whom actually cared for their daughter. Although Historia was disheartened by the news, she had recovered quickly when Freida had offered to take her along on a journey to a distant city.

Historia was so happy to find someone who acknowledged her presence. The times she spent with Freida were the happiest in her life. With the wars over, the territories became peaceful for the most part. However, after a year of leaving the farm, the plague struck and killed nearly everyone. Historia would never get to see the rest of her family.

Everywhere, villages and cities were decimated by the dead, the corpses of men laid in some places stacked into small hills. The woman and children were on the verge of death, with their skins stuck to their bones from hunger and poverty. Historia was terrified; if it wasn’t for Freida and her skills at hunting and surviving, Historia would have died within a week in the wild.

They had tried to seek help from castles and cities, but everywhere they went, they were only met with dead bodies. Soon, Freida and Historia were completely alone in the world. Somehow, Freida was able to keep them alive and fed amidst all the chaos. With the majority of humans gone from the world, wildlife and animals roamed the lands. Freida was excellent with a dagger and had learned how to use a makeshift bow. She kept both of them safe from large predators and hunted smaller prey to keep them fed.

Historia, though she wasn’t great at fighting or hunting, was able to offer her fair share of help. From her days at the farm, she’d learnt how to be a great cook. While Freida made sure they always had food on their plates at least once a day, Historia made sure they were able to enjoy some part of their life. When Freida would injure herself trying to hunt animals bigger than her, Historia would tend to her wounds and mend her clothing.

As days turned into months, Freida and Historia developed a steady routine while on the move, wandering aimlessly into the wild. Those months soon turned to years, and still, they had yet to come across any survivors or settlements. Until they came across the hunt seven years later.

They had been following the trail of a fairly large hog to where it finally stopped before a small creek. Historia, as always stayed back, while Freida went forth to take down their prey. It had all been a normal afternoon, until Freida released her arrow. A sharp whoosh sliced through the air before a thunk marked the arrow sinking deep into its target.

Only this time, there were two thunks.

Historia looked closely and saw two arrows sunk deep into the same hog, one in each eye. They looked across the creek and were astonished to find a small group of people hidden in the thickets.

The hunters were equally astonished at finding other humans out in the wild. They, too, had not come in contact with another wanderer in a long time, not since they’d captured Percy. After a quick introduction and a prompt offer to join, Freida and Historia were officially members of the hunt.

They had learned that the hunt was a group started by the Lady Artemis, who had been a young Princess of a warrior family. She had formed and trained a group of female warriors to not only be able to survive on their own, but also protect other woman.

The wars had been devastating to the entire world, leaving millions of soldiers dead. But it had hit the women and children just as hard. Everywhere the war went, it left a path of destruction in its wake. Cities and villages were destroyed by soldiers. Women were raped, and children were orphaned. The hunters did all they could to save the women and girls that were left for dead by the war. By the end, they had more than fifty skilled hunters.

They had been wandering the wild aimlessly, just trying to survive for years after the plague hit. It wasn’t until they found Percy did they truly establish an order and a community. They had been on a hunt near the coasts of the peninsula when they found a lone man living near the shores.

He had willingly joined with the hunters at the time. But the presence of a man among them changed the hunt forever.

They began entertaining the idea of settling down and building a civilization. Restarting mankind. And so one of their first acts was to restrain Percy to both protect him and prevent him from escaping. They’d realized quickly of his importance and were not taking any risks.

After they had found a suitable place for a settlement, the breeding soon begun. The hunters had began a rotation, and Percy was required to bed a woman every week in hopes of conceiving a child. They soon realized the truth in the rumors of the plague. Even if it didn’t poison your seed and kill you, the plague still made conceiving a child much more difficult. Physically there were no issues with Percy or the hunters, but the seed just refused to take hold within their wombs. Artemis decided to increase the frequency at which he breeded and before long, Percy was part of a routine that saw him bed a hunter everyday. Every hunter was eventually required to bed with Percy; this was their sacred duty to humanity.

In the four years he spent with the hunt, there had only been one hunter to have successfully conceived a child. But, unfortunately, the hunter suffered a terrible miscarriage during a hunt and lost the unborn child. The entire hunt had felt defeated at the news. That incident two years ago, was the last time a coupling resulted in something more. As time passed, hopes were down, and some hunters started using Percy for more twisted purposes.

However, the sense of duty still existed within the hunters. It was their responsibility to continue mankind and begin anew with civilization. The world will be rebuilt upon the shoulders of the hunt, and Percy would be the progenitor of mankind.

Historia had just let their last hope escape. Not by chance or accident, but by choice.

Historia knew she’d made the right decision, but the weight of her choice was now crushing her conscious. She began sobbing quietly on the matted floors of the tent. It had only been a few months with the hunt, but she had truly started to feel at home with her new sisters. They would, without a doubt, kick her out of the hunt if they decided to spare her life in the first place. Artemis would surely be furious at her. But what she feared most was Freida’s reaction.

The moment they came into contact with the hunters, Historia knew it was where they belonged. At least for Freida. She had bonded quickly to the hunters, and in many ways, they were similar to begin with. While Historia was welcomed with open arms, they hadn’t taken to her as they did to her sister. She was more outgoing and more importantly, she was strong. A trait the hunters admired, and a trait that Historia lacked. Would Freida be disappointed with her? Historia couldn’t imagine herself surviving on her own in the wild. What if they punished Freida too by exiling both of us? Historia’s mind ran through the worst outcomes, and she began sobbing harder as her thoughts became darker. Before long, she had passed out from the stress of the entire day, laying curled up on the floor.

* * *

Historia shifted slightly in her fuzzy state, unconsciously burrowing closer to the warmth. Historia felt a deep chuckle from the source of the warmth, and her eyes snapped open. She had her face pressed against a white fabric and she felt the hard surface underneath rise and fall slightly. She sat up slowly and shivered at the warmth lost to the cold winds. A fur blanket slipped off of her shoulders, and she came face to face with Percy. She froze, wandering if she was still in her dream state.

“What are you…” Historia began to exclaim before Percy clasped a hand around her mouth gently.

“Shhh… you might wake up the other hunters.” Percy whispered, as he sat in silence, waiting for any sudden sounds from outside the tent. He slowly relaxed after a moment, sensing the other hunters were undisturbed.

Percy noticed Historia shivering slightly in the cold and wrapped the blankets tightly around the both of them before bringing her body towards his own. Historia, despite her confused state, cuddled deeper into Percy’s embrace, savoring the warmth from his own body. After a moment as they lay in silence, Historia looked up towards Percy and voiced her confusion, “Why… why did you come back?”

Percy didn’t meet Historia’s eyes, and just stared blankly up at the roof of the tent. After a while, he let out a small sigh. “There’s not much left in the world now, I don’t have anywhere to go.” Percy started, “My mother’s dead, I had no companions before the hunters found me. This is the only place I’ve known for years.”

Historia looked at him in sadness. She was reminded of her days of wandering the wild alone with Freida. She couldn’t imagine the struggle and loneliness Percy must’ve gone through. Being the only human alive all alone in the world must have been a terrifying thought for him.

“You should be glad I came back, Historia” Percy added with a small smile, “You had nearly frozen to death by the time I found you unconscious on the ground. You’ve recovered most of your body heat, but your lips are still slightly blue.” Percy said softly.

“Thank you.” It was now Historia’s turn to show her gratitude towards Percy. “I’m sorry you’re still in this situation.” She offered.

Percy shook his head slightly, “I got to see what it was like outside, if just for a bit. Running around in the woods and seeing the night sky again, that’s all I needed.” Percy assured Historia.

Historia then finally took notice of her surroundings as she glanced around the tent. Seeing her confusion, Percy answered, “I brought you to your own tent when you were passed out. There were no fur blankets in the other tent.” Slaves didn’t need warmth or comfort afterall. They just had to make sure Percy survived, and they knew that Percy was incapable of dying from some cold weather.

“H-how did you know this was my tent?” Historia asked.

“I have excellent senses, ever since I was a child.” Percy responded. “This was the only tent that didn’t have anyone inside.” He could hear Historia’s heartbeat now, loud and clearly. For a while, her heartbeat had been faint, slowed by the freezing temperatures. But now it pounded rhythmically against Percy’s chest.

“What do I do now?” Historia asked hesitantly, “When Artemis finds out in the morning that I had my maidenhood intact, I’ll still be exiled from the hunt. No one disobeys the sacred duty.”

“What will we do.” Percy corrected. “We’re in this together now, I won’t let you bear the weight of this by yourself.”

“I-I’m scared.” Historia admitted, “I’ve never lain with a man before. I’ve never touched a man before,” Historia said in a small voice.

Percy wrapped his arm around Historia, caressing her back, trying to sooth her worries. “How long have you been in the hunt?” Percy asked. He knew she was relatively a new hunter, but being tied up in a tent separated from the world essentially, Percy didn’t come in contact with many of the hunters.

“My sister and I joined 4 months ago.” Historia answered. Seeing the surprised look in Percy’s eyes, she added, “I only f-flowered a week ago.” A terrible blush crept on Historia’s face as she stammered through her embarrassment. “I tried to hide it, but the other hunters found out. I think you’ve met my sister, Freida. She’s… stronger, and more beautiful. I’m sorry you got me tonight.” Historia said shyly.

Percy thought back and remembered an older girl with black hair. She had been new too, he recalled. She had been assertive, strong, and had sharp features that matched little to Historia’s soft, innocent face. But she had been one of his nicer experiences. She stuck to her duties and left once his seed was deposited within her. She hadn’t been cruel like some of the other girls, and Percy was ashamed to admit he’d not lasted long with her beauty.

“You’re wrong.” Percy stated, as Historia looked up in surprise at his words. “Don’t ever think your sister or any of the other hunters are better than you are. You’re beautiful. But you also have a kind heart. You helped me when no one else would. You have strength inside of you, that makes you braver than anyone else. I’m glad you came to me tonight, Historia. You showed me what freedom felt like, once again.”

“But now you’re back with the hunt again. Why would you come back here?” Historia protested.

“The freedom to make my own choice was all I wanted. And I choose you.” Percy answered as he gave Historia a small smile.

Historia felt tears well up slowly in her eyes. No one had said such sweet things to her. Not even her sister. She stared into Percy’s eyes and only saw kindness and truth there. Even though Percy was a stranger before this night, Historia felt an enormous amount of trust in him and felt safe within his arms. She wiggled up in his embrace until she came face to face with Percy and surged forward to meet him at the lips.

Percy had been surprised by her actions, and he froze when he felt the soft peck on his lips. When Historia pulled back, her face had flushed beautifully with her pale skin and blond hair. “I-I don’t know how to…” She stammered in embarrassment, not able to finish her sentence. “W-will you teach me how to…”

Before Historia could finish, Percy caressed her cheek and pulled her towards him once again. He closed his lips around hers and savored the taste of her. He closed his eyes, and he felt Historia relax and lean into the kiss. She reached behind his head and ran her fingers through his hair, wanting to touch every bit if him. Historia shivered in pleasure when Percy slowly licked her lips, asking for entrance. She gladly accepted, and Historia’s tongue danced shyly with Percy’s, allowing him to explore her mouth.

Historia’s lips, which had been nearly frozen from the cold, had now melted completely from the passion of Percy’s kisses. The heat spread from her lips and warmed her entire body. Everywhere her body came in contact with Percy’s, her hands, her lips, her thighs, felt as if they were on fire. And everywhere her skin wasn’t, she craved for more.

Before long, the pair had to pull away, each gasping breathlessly for air. Both were at a complete loss for words, as what they just shared was simply indescribable. Their lips met back together a few more times in quick succession, each not getting enough of each other.

Historia, feeling emboldened by Percy’s words, sat up and straddled him by the waist. She slowly started unlacing her silver hunter’s dress from the front, each string coming undone teasingly slow. When the final knot was untied, the dress slipped from her shoulders and pooled at her waists, revealing a thin shift that barely covered Historia. Then, hesitantly, Historia pulled the shift over her head slowly, revealing herself to Percy in all her glory.

All Percy could do was stare up at the goddess straddled atop him. He took in the sight of her beautiful breasts that were slightly perky and very full for her small frame. Seeing Percy’s lack of movement as disappointment, Historia covered his breasts with her arms, looking away from insecurity.

Percy let out a small whine at the covering of the beautiful sight, but frowned upon seeing Historia’s emotions. Percy slowly sat up with Historia’s leather pants clad legs still straddled around him. He wrapped his arms around her, caressing her bare back with his warm hands. He placed his forehead on Historia’s making their eyes meet and the tips of their nose touch slightly. “You’re so beautiful, Historia. Don’t ever doubt yourself.” Percy reassured.

He then closed the distance between their lips once again. Kissing Historia had quickly become a favorite activity of his. Historia visibly relaxed at Percy’s actions and dropped her arms to wrap around his neck. Percy then trailed kisses down her jaw, then her neck and collarbone, before finally arriving at her breasts. Meanwhile, Historia could barely contain herself, letting out small moans of pleasure as Percy’s hot lips tasted her skin.

Percy moved his mouth towards Historia’s left breast as he kissed around her nipple teasingly, licking and tasting her soft, creamy breasts. He used his hand to please her other breast, gently caressing her breast and his thumb swiping over her nipple, causing jolts of pleasure to travel through Historia’s body.

Finally, Percy’s mouth closed around Historia’s nipple, his tongue dancing across back and forth, tracing circles, causing Historia to grasp at Percy’s hair. She had never thought her body to be this sensitive, but Percy was exploring and discovering her body in ways she’d never dared to before.

Percy then switched his oral attention to Historia’s other breast. Both of her nipples had hardened with pleasure and need by now, as her smallclothes became soaked underneath her leather pants. The small unconscious twitches of her leg caused Percy to moan into Historia’s breast as she slightly rubbed her core against Percy’s hardness.

Percy slowly pulled away and admired the absolutely gorgeous sight. Historia had her eyes closed and lips slightly apart as she struggled to silence her own pleasure. She been brought to a peak just through her breasts and even as Percy pulled away, she still felt the pleasure coursing through her body. She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming in pleasure. Her body collapsed onto Percy’s as she breathed heavily, her heart racing from the excitement.

Percy’s hands caressed her body lovingly, waiting patiently for her to recover. He himself had grown to a painful hardness, her beautiful moans and expression arousing Percy like few ever had before. He, too, had to restrain the excitement between his legs; it would be quite disheartening to finish before he even started.

When Percy sensed Historia’s breathing beginning to slow, he moved his hands to her thigh, rubbing gently as if asking permission. “Can I take this off?” Percy whispered softly, not wanting to disturb Historia’s peaceful state. She looked at Percy with a slightly dazed look and nodded in consent.

Percy first flipped their positions so that Historia laid flat on the ground, and then slipped off her knee high boots. Despite the freezing temperatures, Historia felt a warmth in her blood that flowed all the way down to her toes. The skin on her face all the way down to her chest had flushed a beautiful pink.

Percy then slowly moved towards the lacing on the front of her pants. He took his time with the tight knots. Hunter pants were made for utility after all. As Percy worked away, Historia couldn’t help but blush even harder at his actions. His knuckles would occasionally brush against her hip bone or the inside of her thighs, or even her womanhood. Historia could hardly keep still. Finally, the last knot came undone, and Percy slipped the leather pants off of her.

Percy trailed his fingers down her beautiful legs, marveling at their toneness and the subtle muscles that revealed her hardships over the years. Historia shivered at his touches, as Percy moved up her inner thigh and rested his hand gently between her legs. She looked away in embarrassment, at having her wetness discovered.

Percy then moved his body forward so that he hovered above Historia face to face. Gently caressing her cheek, he met her eyes in reassurance, “There’s nothing to be ashamed about, Historia. You’re beautiful. Being wet down there just means you’re feeling aroused.”

Historia looked up shyly at Percy, “Are you aroused as well?” She asked in a small voice.

Instead of answering her, Percy grabbed her hand and slowly guided her to his hardness. He gently placed her palms along his pants, letting her feel along his length that strained against his breeches. Historia made a small gasp, as she felt the entire length of Percy. She bit her bottom lip, causing Percy to let out a groan at both her expression and her hand rubbing slowly down his shaft.

Percy buried his face in Historia’s neck and began working away at her skin. Kissing, licking, sucking, and biting gently. Percy then moved his hand downward to her core and slowly traced her lips over the thin fabric of her undergarments. Historia’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head as a wave of pleasure hit her. While she thought she had reached the heavens with her last peak, just a touch between her legs coupled with Percy’s attention to her neck nearly sent her over the edge.

He caressed her lower lips and rubbed gentle circles around a small nub above her lips. The fabric separating them creating more friction that stirred another wave of heat and pleasure within Historia. Percy slowly trailed kisses down her body once again. First he went down to her chest and gave his attention to each of Historia’s breast. But this time, he continued downwards, placing his mouth on her skin all the way down her stomach, until he stopped right above her womanhood. He looked up at Historia to see her hesitation and felt her legs slowly tightening up, unsure of what he was doing.

“Do you trust me?” Percy asked, looking up at Historia from between her legs.

Historia hesitated for a second before nodding through her embarrassment. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, bracing for an uncomfortable pain. Her sister and the other hunters had warned her of how a woman’s first would be painful. Their warnings had only added to her fears of losing her maidenhood. Percy had done all he could to make her feel good and at ease, and she would be forever grateful to him for making her first time that enjoyable. But she knew that now was the painful part.

Instead, she felt a warm wetness on her mound from outside of her undergarments and a wicked pleasure at the feeling of her nub being played with. She looked down in curiosity at what Percy was doing, and her eyes widened in mortification. The only part of Percy left visible was a mop of raven black hair, as his face was buried into her core. Her legs were raised, bent at an angle over his shoulders, and Percy held her thighs gently, lapping at her lower lips.

Historia almost died of embarrassment. She hadn’t known that was something lovers did in the bedroom. Neither did she think this much pleasure was possible, especially for the woman. Although she felt mortified at Percy’s actions, she couldn’t help but buck her hips upwards into Percy’s mouth, chasing an incredible feeling of leg numbing pleasure.

Percy then curled his fingers around her undergarments and tugged it past her hips, trying to remove the barrier between him and her sweet sex. Historia wiggled slightly and raised her legs up to help remove her last piece of clothing. She, too, had wanted to feel Percy’s tongue directly on her.

The first swipe of Percy’s tongue within her folds made Historia buckle at her knees despite her position laying down. But Percy didn’t stop there. The things he did with his tongue were indescribable as Historia couldn’t think properly. She made near incoherent moans of Percy’s name that grew louder and louder as Percy’s tongue worked more furiously. Percy stuck a finger within her folds, and Historia felt a sudden jolt before her senses became completely overwhelmed at the pleasure.

Percy thrust his fingers into her folds relentlessly, as his tongue played incessantly with her clit. Before Historia could even catch her breath, Percy pushed her over the edge, making her peak so hard, she screamed silently into the hands covering her mouth. When she finally stopped seeing stars, she looked down and realized she still had Percy’s hair clasped tightly in her grasp.

She gave Percy an apologetic look and released his hair right away. Percy gave her a small smile, showing he didn’t mind. He placed a gentle kiss on her mound, and Historia had squealed in surprise. Her nub had been extremely sensitive after her peak. Historia tried to bring her legs together, but Percy’s head remained in the way. He continued to lay gentle kisses on her lower lips and blew gently on her folds, causing Historia to giggle as she struggled to no avail.

She pulled Percy up to her level and kissed him passionately. She tasted remnants of her own pleasure on his lips, and she smile slightly into his mouth. Percy pulled away to see Historia biting her bottom lip slightly and soon felt her hands running along his length. His manhood responded instantly as it twitched wildly in his pants.

“If you keep that up, I won’t be able to last any longer.” Percy whispered into Historia’s ears.

“What are we waiting for then?” Historia asked with a sly smile. She began working at the strings in front of Percy’s breeches and expertly untied the knots. Percy kicked off his pants within seconds, releasing his cock from the painful restraints of his pants.

Despite feeling his length earlier, Historia was still surprised by the length of Percy. She’d finally realized why the other hunters said coupling might hurt. Staring at Percy’s enormous cock, she couldn’t imagine a way in which that would fit inside of her.

Seeing the fear in Historia’s eyes, Percy remembered that she was still a virgin, being forced to have sex with him. “We don’t have to continue,” Percy said, “You’re still young, Artemis will understand.”

Percy’s concern for Historia had the opposite effect, however, as it steeled her will to continue. “No! I have to do this. Not for Artemis, or the hunt, or humanity, but for myself. I want you. It’s the first thing I’ve ever truly wanted. I want you to spill your seed within me, I want to carry your child.” Historia stated resolutely. Then in a smaller voice, she said, “I-I just don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to put my mouth o-on your…”

Percy gave a small laugh at that, his eyes reflecting the humor he saw in the situation. “No, Historia. You don’t have to. Perhaps another day, I can barely hold back right now as it is.” Percy answered, “Just lay back and relax. I promise I’ll be gentle.” He gave Historia a sincere look.

She nodded her head, not doubting Percy in any way. “I trust you.” Historia said confidently. She gave Percy a passionate kiss before she lay back down on her mat. She spread her legs in front of Percy, baring her sex for Percy’s cock.

Percy ran his fingers along her folds and felt the wetness still within her folds. He spread some of her fluids on his cock to ease his entrance. After he felt it was sufficient, Percy began running his tip along Historia’s folds. Both moaned in pleasure at the feeling. Slowly Percy pushed in and grunted at the tightness suffocating his cock. Historia gasped at the fullness of Percy’s cock within her; he stretched her walls to almost to a painful amount.

Percy leaned down slowly and began kissing her neck, as he prepared to push past her barrier. Historia knew what was to come and wrapped her arms tightly around Percy’s neck. He whispered a small apology before pushing into her, breaking her maidenhood.

Historia felt a sudden sting from her core, and she cried out at the sudden pain. She sank her teeth lightly into Percy’s shoulder, to prevent herself from screaming out loud. Percy stayed completely still on top of Historia until he felt her bite on his shoulder loosen.

Then, he propped himself up slightly to look at her. She had a pained look on her face, but was bravely urging Percy to continue. Instead, Percy just lay sweet kisses upon Historia’s face, willing her drops of tears away. After having a couple moments to adjust to his size, Historia said, “Ok, I think I’m fine now, you can start moving.”

Percy finally met Historia’s mouth with a kiss as he locked their lips together in passion. Then, Percy started to pull his hips back and slowly started sliding his cock within Historia’s folds. She gasped into the kiss, feeling the new sensations that were much less painful at before. The wetness within her allowed Percy to slide smoothly and painlessly for her. Percy made sure to avoid pushing too much of his length into Historia. He pushed in only a few inches of his cock to make it more bearable for her. Even with that, he felt a pressure building up quickly within him.

Historia felt Percy’s thrust speed up slightly, and she felt herself reaching a third peak for the night. Despite her initial pain, the pleasure from Percy’s cock filling her to the brim had overwhelmed any pain she felt. She moaned into the night air as she wrapped her legs around Percy, allowing him to go slightly deeper within her sex.

Feeling his own peak nearing, Percy reached down with his hand and began teasing her pleasure bud lightly with his thumb. Immediately, Historia’s hips bucked as her walls tightened around Percy and her entire body shook from the pleasure.

Percy didn’t last long after that. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the sight of Historia. After a few more thrusts, Percy came with a grunt, shooting his seed deep within Historia’s tunnel.

They stayed like that for a few moments, their labored breaths causing a huge fog in the cold night air. Historia looked into Percy’s eyes and saw a tenderness there that she’s never seen before. They shared a last kiss that was slow and sweet, completely different from the passionate, hungry kisses earlier. Percy picked up Historia slightly by the waist, her legs still wrapped tightly around him, refusing to let go of the warmth of his cock inside of her. Percy flipped their position so he laid flat on his back on the mat, and Historia laid on Percy’s chest, snuggling into his warmth. He pulled up the furred blanket around both of them before wrapping his arms around her in a protective manner.

“Sleep, my sweet angel. You’ve had a long night.” Percy whispered in Historia’s ears. Her eyes drooped tiredly as she placed the side of her face on top of Percy’s heart. A smile was left on her face as she drifted off to sleep, Percy’s heartbeat providing a steady comfort for her dreams.

The pair fell into a peaceful rest for the first time in years.


	2. Zoë Nightshade

Artemis sighed in frustration as she slammed her fist down on the hardwood table. She could barely see the faintest hint of the sun rising above the horizon, and yet she was already developing a headache for the day. How she wished to leave her tent right now and roam the wild lands like in the old days. She yearned to have the feeling of freedom once again.

But alas, it was her duty to lead, and leading was not something she always enjoyed. Particularly this aspect of it. She stared down at the numbers for the month, and they did not look good.

Ever since the hunt had settled in this open area flanked by the thick woodlands, they had started keeping records of their activities. Settlements and civilizations required much more planning than the nomadic way of life for the old hunt.

They now kept track of their food supply, their weapons, hostile encounters, and even their breeding schedule.

After the fall of humanity, animals thrived and multiplied like never before. Without the threat of humans thinning their numbers, they grew at a rampant pace, both in number and size. For a very long time, the hunters hunted more food than they can possibly eat. Without the ability to transport the large carcasses of their kills, they often left them, untouched, for the next big predator.

When they’d found Percy and started settling down, food was still in abundance. The thick woodlands next to their camp held all types of wild game that allowed the hunt to feast for years.

Large boars, the size of elephants, roamed the woods in hordes. Artemis had never seen anything like it. It would’ve been surprising to see boars foraging in pairs, let alone an entire horde. They were known to be solitary animals afterall. When they stampeded, the ground shook from their large masses; tremors of the earth can be felt from miles away.

At first, the hunt didn’t know how to deal with the boars. They stood, on all fours, at nearly the same height as a hunter, with a hide so thick, not even spears had a chance of piercing their skin. The hunters’ bow and arrows were utterly useless, the chaos of the stampede making it near impossible to hit a soft spot such as the eyes. It was also a risk that Artemis refused to put her hunters in; the boars changed directions suddenly and unpredictably. One quick turn, and the hunt could be caught on the losing end and be stomped to the ground. Hunting these boars directly was not an option.

They were, however, susceptible to traps. The chaos of the huge stampeding hordes made the traps infallible as long as they passed through the area. The hunters dug huge pits in the ground, the size of exactly one large adult. An unfortunate boar would fall into the pit and be held in place, until the hunters came by later and stabbed a spear through its eye and out the back of its head.

For years, the hunters feasted on boar meat; the result of one successful trap would last the entire hunt more than three days.

But that source ran dry two year ago. The traps no longer yielded large boars, only the occasional piglet that was less than a few months old or rabbits that were the size of hounds. They were good meat, but not nearly enough to sustain fifty hunters. The ground no longer shook at the large stampeding hordes of boar, and that’s when the hunters realized they’d hunted them down to their last one.

With the disappearance of the boars, the woods surrounding them altered completely. The underbush grew so thick, it became impossible to tread through without stumbling. Any chance at tracking a prey’s footsteps vanished. New animals also settled into the forest, dangerous beasts.

Artemis, herself, had led a ranging party of ten hunters into the woods after a week of not capturing any boars. What they came across scared even Artemis to her boots.

They had noticed the signs of what seemed to be a stampede. There were underbush completely flattened in a large radius, and trees the size of stone towers were snapped at the trunk. Whatever had rampaged through these parts had to have been a large horde. The ranging party followed the trail until they reached a large clearing.

However, it hadn’t been a horde of stampeding boars. There was just one single beast lying in wait.

A deep growl sounded, freezing the hunters in their tracks. Its baritone sound sent vibrations through the earth, shaking the hunter’s to their core. Artemis was the first to see a glimpse through the leaves. A huge brown mass, twice the height of any large boar, stalked towards them on all fours, teeth baring right at the hunters.

It was a colossal bear that was, no doubt, capable of standing to a full height of a large castle wall. It was twice the height of the largest human whilst it stood on all fours. Artemis had grown up with stories of mythical beasts. But this monster in front of her would crush the Nemean Lion with one paw. Its claws sunk deep into the ground as it stalked forward towards the hunters. Claws that were longer and stronger than the steel swords made by the best blacksmiths. One swipe of the paw would sever a man’s body from his legs.

And if that wasn’t enough to worry about, the bear snapped its jaw, showing its ability to crush anything within its mouth. Its fangs were sharp and nearly the length of Artemis’ forearm. She suspected they were fully capable of chewing through armor. That is, if it had to chew at all. As the bear roared at the hunters, it stretched its jaws as wide as the height of an entire human. It would have no trouble swallowing her whole.

Artemis was at a loss for what to do. If they turned their backs and ran, the bear would give chase, and without a doubt, many of her companions would fall. If they stayed still, the bear still might decided to attack, seeing them as its prey.

In the end, the bear decided for her.

Faster than the eye can blink, it had snatched one of her hunters in its jaw, and with one violent shake of its head, her spine had been snapped. It’s fast too, Artemis realized in horror.

She didn’t even have to give an order, the rest of the group sprinted into the forest in all directions, just to get away from the beast. Artemis, too, had ran for her life. To die alone in a forest after all that she went through, she refused to accept that outcome. Her fear made her pump her legs faster and kick harder. After a while, she peeked back behind her as she heard the thunderous sounds of the bear giving chase slowly come to a halt.

The bear looked on disinterested now with its hunger sated. Blood and silver cloth hung from its snout, the only remnants of her hunters. Artemis held back a sob at the sight, each death breaking her heart. This was her fault, if she hadn’t decided to venture into the woods, none of this would have happened.

Ten hunters set out with her in the morning, only one returned with her at night. Artemis stumbled into their camp with her Lieutenant’s arm around her soldiers. Zoë Nightshade had lost consciousness long ago, and Artemis had carried her back to camp around her shoulders.

The hunters, when they saw the state of their Mistress and lieutenant, gasped in shock and quickly gathered them in the infirmary. After seeing Zoë’s state, Artemis had wanted to hit herself at the stupidity of the mission. Not only did nine hunter lose their lives, her entire hunt was placed in danger. If the bear had followed them back into their camp, no amount of hunters could’ve ever hoped to stop it. That would have been the end for them.

But more importantly, Artemis failed in their most important mission. She knew she should have never let Zoë come with her on the expedition. But in her foolishness, she had let herself be persuaded by Zoë’s words, and now the entire future of humanity was at stake. Many had tried to convince her otherwise. Even Percy had begged for her to not bring Zoë. But she trusted her faithful Lieutenant, and thought she’d be able to protect Zoë if any dangers were to arise.

She’d had been wrong, terribly wrong. And now the image of the streams of blood flowing down Zoë’s legs would haunt Artemis for the rest of her life.

She looked across the table at her Lieutenant now, who was dutifully helping her go through the numbers. Many times, Artemis would still look at Zoë with a tinge of sadness, feeling as if she failed to protect her sister and what she had inside her. While Artemis had treated many of her hunters like her adopted daughters, Zoë was her sister, an eternal companion by her side.

After that incident, Artemis had forbade the hunters from entering the woods. She’d refused to take any more risks with the life of her hunters. The possibility of another food source within the woods was not worth another encounter with the bear, and so the hunt began looking in other places for wild game.

A couple miles east of their camp, they came across a large creek, teeming with water life. The hunters had quickly learned how to fish, and for the past year, their diet had been mainly consisted of that. Occasionally, they’d run into one of the smaller boars, no doubt one of the last ones remaining from the thick woodlands near their camp, but this creek was surrounded by more barren land; the trees were thin, and the lack of underbush failed to provide enough food for the boars.

It was on such an occasion, where they had met the pair of wandering girls, who had introduced themselves as sisters from a faraway kingdom. Artemis had suspected that they were of royal blood, one that fought on the opposite side of the war than her family. But blood, country, and faith mattered little in the world they live in. Only survival and reproduction ensured the continuation of humanity. If Artemis wanted that to happen, they needed to find a new food source quickly.

Their first issue involved the amount of fish and game their hunters brought in after every hunt. With winter season underway now, their fishing had come to a complete halt. Last week, the creek had frozen over, and with that, the rivers flowing from them had completely dried. So not only did they lose their source of food from the fish, they also lost their main source of water.

Luckily, Artemis had the foresight to build a stone well within their camp, which was capable of storing a large amount of water. Even so, their supply would run out in about a month. They had began gathering blocks of snow for later in the season as a precaution. Melting the blocks over fire could provide an emergency source of water. However, relying on that in the long term was as inefficient as it was impractical.

With the creek frozen over now, most of the wildlife had moved on as well, looking for new water sources. This past week, the hunters came back from their expedition with only two deers in tow, each of a meager size. The food supply thinned every week, and Artemis suspected in about two weeks time, the hunters will no longer be able to find any prey left.

She had to think of a solution quickly, or else they won’t survive this winter.

“What should we do Zoë?” Artemis asked in a small voice. In front of the rest of the hunters, Artemis had to act authoritative and confident. She was their leader after all. But in front of Zoë, she let many of her insecurities show, a side the other hunters would never see. Many times when she had doubted her own abilities to lead, Zoë had been there to support and comfort her, even after the incident with the bear.

Zoë let out a small sigh and let the papers in her grasp fall down to the table.

“We won’t last through this winter; it’s the coldest it’s been in decades. Without the boars in the woodlands, we barely survived last winter with the fish from the creek.” Zoë said, “If the waters freeze this early in the year…” Zoë had left it at that, both of them knowing the dire consequences for the hunt.

Artemis pondered the situation for a moment and couldn’t come up with an optimal solution. “What do you propose?” Artemis asked once again.

Zoë paused for a second before continuing hesitantly. “We haven’t been in there in year, perhaps it’s time to lead another party into the…”

“No! Absolutely not.” Artemis exclaimed, cutting her Lieutenant off before she could finish. “I’m not wasting any more hunter lives while that bear still resides in those woods.”

“But you don’t know that.” Zoë countered. “It was one time when we saw the bear, and that was two years ago. Perhaps it was just passing through, we’ve not had an encounter with it ever since.”

“No.” Artemis stood resolute in her decision. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. No doubt, the lands have grown even more dangerous and foreign over the years. We’ll look for another way.”

Zoë nodded her head reluctantly, accepting her mistress’s choice. Artemis was a stubborn person at heart; any decision she made, she often stuck with until the end. Zoë just hoped that the end in this case didn’t mean the death of them all.

Instead, Zoë proposed a different idea. “What if we ventured south?” Zoë started, pausing slightly to let Artemis consider the option. “I know this place has been our home for more than four years, but if we don’t leave, we won’t survive.”

“It’ll certainly be warmer the further south we go. But how are we certain we’ll find a more suitable place elsewhere?” Artemis questioned, “We haven’t had an expedition involving the entire hunt ever since we settled down here.”

“What do we have to lose?” Zoë fired back, “Any place we find could be better than this dried up hole that we’re in now.”

Artemis slowly started nodding in agreement. She then began thinking of the specifics of such a mission. “Can we do it? Would we be able to mobilize the hunt in such a short time?” Artemis questioned.

Zoë pondered for a moment. “We’ve not had food storages for a while now. We’ll have to hunt on the go, I’m afraid.” Zoë answered. “The only item other than basic supplies will be water. With the rest of the supply from our well, we’ll be able to stock every hunter with two canteens of water.”

Artemis frowned at the number. That’s not much, especially if we’re not certain how long we’ll be traveling. “It’ll last us perhaps two weeks if we’re conservative. After that…”

Artemis and Zoë both knew the effects of dehydration. Dying from thirst was a miserable way to go. They had seen soldiers during the war and even their own sisters in the hunt die from thirst. Wherever they wished to move the hunt, it would have to be within a two week trip.

“The sooner we get started the better.” Artemis decided. “Gather all the hunters and meet me at the center of camp. I’ll make the announcement, and we’ll begin preparing for the mission.”

Zoë nodded in understanding. Before she could set out to find all the hunters she heard a huge commotion outside breaking the silent dawn.

Artemis closed her eyes and sighed in frustration for the thousandth time that morning already. Internal problems within the hunt was the last thing she needed right now. She stormed out of the tent with her Lieutenant in tow, looking for the hunters that wished to incur her wrath. 

* * *

 

(Earlier that morning)

Atalanta had slowly risen to a full panic by now. Her breathing had quickened as her heart began pounding out of her chest. She stood frozen, eyes wide with shock at the scene before her. Her brain couldn’t comprehend the possibility of the situation; if Artemis found out about this, she would surely be in deep trouble.

It had started as a normal morning. The sky was still dark with tiny streaks of sunshine peeking over the thick woods along the horizon. Many of the hunters had modified their uniforms for the winter by sewing thick furs along the outside, but it did little to prevent the cold winds from chilling Atalanta to the bone. Without the sun out, even a roaring fire would have a hard time preventing one from shivering.

Atalanta had needed something to warm her body from within, something to keep her blood boiling and her heart pumping. So she headed off to a favorite little hobby of hers – a quick fuck before the day began. Atalanta had hoped the innocent girl had left Percy wanting last night with her terrible inexperience and shyness. That way, his unsatisfied needs would drive him to truly take her this morning. Just the thought of it made Atalanta quiver with excitement, as she tried to rub her legs closer together with each step she took.

Her anticipation grew as she quickly neared the white tent that basically served as a dungeon for Percy. It was a large, circular dome-shaped tent supported by a pole in the middle. They were tents that the hunt had scavenged from dead generals and lords during the war. They were luxurious enough for a highborn’s leisure, and large enough to hold a meeting with their counsellors. There were only two of those tents in their camp and the other was occupied by Artemis. While her mistress certainly used hers for a similar purpose of a headquarters, Percy’s had been used much differently.

Oh how those lords would frown upon seeing their tent being used for a sex dungeon. But they were all dead now, and their bodies lie deep beneath the earth.

Atalanta licked her lips slightly before she entered the tent silently, hoping to catch Percy by surprise. Instead, the scene she saw caught her off guard.

It was cold and dark within the tent. The fire had burnt out in the middle of the night, snuffing out any light that would otherwise illuminate the tent. But even in the darkness the truth was inescapably clear. The room was completely empty of its occupant. Percy, who was supposed to never leave this tent, was no longer present. All that remained was a series of ropes coiled on the floor, cut by a knife near the knots.

Atalanta was truly at a loss for what to do in the situation. Should she report this to her Lady Artemis right away? She would inevitably be the one at blame, and no amount of punishment would be able to justify losing the only male left of humanity. On the other hand, if she tried to solve this issue on her own, her failure would only be magnified by her decision to not inform her mistress. And they would’ve wasted precious hours to track him down.

In the end, Atalanta decided to take the risk and attempt to find Percy on her own. She sprinted across the camp, looking for signs of Percy. Luckily, not many hunters were awake yet to notice her terrible dilemma. She checked the dining halls, the armory, the infirmary, and the center of camp, but there were zero traces of Percy. She even dared to venture along the edge of the woods, which Artemis had strictly forbidden, looking for a track of Percy’s footsteps. Unfortunately for her, the snow overnight had covered any evidence that Percy could have left behind, leaving Atalanta with no where to start.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind of the girl he laid with last night. Atalanta turned around abruptly and headed off towards the resting area where the rest of the hunter’s tents were situated.

As Atalanta approached, she scanned the field quickly to find Historia’s tent. The hunter’s camp was made up of patches of mismatched color. Many of the tents had been left from dead soldier during the wars, often ones from opposing sides sporting different colors. As a result, patches of crimson red, forest green, and bright gold stood in contrast with the white snowy grounds. Nearly fifty tents stood loosely spread in the clearing, but Atalanta knew immediately where Historia’s tent was.

Her and her sister had been forced to take the last spot remaining, closest to the edge of the woods. It was Atalanta who had found Historia in her tent last night to inform her of her duty and later dragged her out in tears.

Atalanta walked briskly towards the tent with a sense of purpose. Historia had a lot of questions to answer.

Atalanta slowly pulled the flap aside and entered the tent. She noticed a presence within before she even laid eyes on anything. There was a slight warmness that caressed her cold cheeks from the freezing temperature outside, and it was quite different from the cold emptiness of Percy’s tent.

When Atalanta ducked her head underneath the flap and finally stepped through, her eyes widened at what she saw. Many different emotions ran across her face; for a while, Atalanta simply stood there confused at what she was feeling.

On the mat, lay two people who were in a loving embrace. Their fur blankets have slowly fallen off their shoulders, revealing their naked bodies curled together.

Historia was lying on top of Percy, pressing her breasts against Percy’s hard torso. Her head was tilted to the side, almost as if she was listening to the rhythm of Percy’s heartbeats. The only part Atalanta could see however, was her bare back, almost a glowing white against the darkness. Percy had an arm wrapped around Historia’s waist; not too tight to be a strangling hold, but supportive enough to make Historia feel safe and protected.

Though most of Historia’s face was buried into Percy’s chest, Atalanta could just see the corner of Historia’s lips which were curled in a content smile.

Atalanta’s eyes softened a bit at that. Even though she had been a bit cruel to the girl last night, she still felt guilty within her heart at having to push a girl to do something like that.

Atalanta knew how frightening a first time could be for a girl. Her own was a nightmare that she still woke up to screaming at times. She had been violated countless times, long before she was even old enough to fully understand what sex was. Luckily, Artemis had been there to save her from both her rapist and her own knife.

For a long time after she’d join the hunters, she had been afraid and broken, shutting herself off from the world and the rest of her sisters. Many a times, she had considered suicide. Taking one’s life would be much easier than trying to survive in this shit world. But, she had lived on. Both in the encouragement of her sisters and the sheer will of Artemis, she had gotten past her past demon. At least for the most part. Her life had improved significantly, even if her trauma would come back to haunt her countless times.

In a small part of her heart, Atalanta was happy for Historia, glad that her first time hadn’t been as brutal and unpleasant as her own. However, that feeling soon turned into envy at the fortune of Historia.

The world was truly unfair. Atalanta had done nothing wrong to deserve her treatment. Why did she have to suffer through all the pain while Historia had Percy as her first? And not only that, Historia had somehow accomplished what Atalanta had always failed to do.

Seeing Historia’s content smile reflected on the face of Percy’s, Atalanta felt the jealousy within her burn. Why couldn’t Percy reciprocate her passion for him? Why couldn’t he hold her in a loving embrace as he was holding Historia right now?

All of these thoughts flashed through Atalanta’s head as her flickering emotions finally settled on anger. Anger at the cruel world and its injustices. Anger at Historia who had everything handed to her. And most pettily, anger at the couple who had caused her so much anxiety and panic all morning.

She strode forth and grabbed the fur blanket by the end near the feet of the resting couple. With a hard tug, Atalanta yanked the cover off of Percy and Historia, startling them from their peaceful state.

Historia gave a sharp yelp as she realized the situation and leapt off of Percy’s body and settled beside him in a seated position. She held her knees in front of her, trying to cover as much of her body as she could.

Percy just stared unblinkingly at Atalanta, propped up slightly by his own elbows. His manhood was completely out in the open for anyone to see. Atalanta stared appreciatively at the length, momentarily forgetting her anger as she licked her lips at the sight.

Percy ignored Atalanta and calmly got up before reaching for Historia’s underclothes and hunter’s uniform, which had been scattered across the tent during the heat of their passions last night. He then slowly helped Historia dress, covering her modesty from Atalanta with his own body. Atalanta looked at the display with an unreadable expression.

A million thoughts ran through Percy’s head at the possibilities of Atalanta’s actions. She was usually very expressive with her outbursts of anger. A silent Atalanta, in truth, frightened him more than her usual violent self. He had no idea what she was thinking or planned to do.

After Historia had been fully dressed, he reached out for his own clothing, which laid near Atalanta. However, before he could get a hand on them, Atalanta placed her foot on top of Percy’s clothing, obstructing his path. He knew he was in deep trouble and simply waited for Atalanta to speak first.

He had meant to sneak back into his tent after Historia had went to sleep. But the feeling of holding her in his embrace left him wanting to stay just a bit longer. The peacefulness lulled him to a deep sleep, enjoying the feel of her skin on his.

After a moment, Atalanta finally decided to speak up. “I wonder what Lady Artemis would think, with you out of your bonds again.” Atalanta said with a sly smile. “She wasn’t happy the first time you escaped…”

“I wasn’t trying to escape that time!” Percy argued, stopping Atalanta in the middle of her sentence.

“Oh really?” Atalanta asked sarcastically. “Breaking out of your tent, sneaking out in the middle of the night, I don’t know what you would call that. In any case, I doubt Lady Artemis would care to make the distinction. Your punishment this time around would be much more severe.”

“You would not go unpunished either.” Percy warned. “If you tell Artemis, you would be punished for negligence as well.” He had hoped that would convince Atalanta to keep this a secret from Artemis. His punishment last time had been unpleasant. After his first escape, Artemis took away any freedom he had and physically restrained him at all times. He was tied him up to a pole in his tent, and anything he needed was controlled by the hunters. He had been hand fed by others, monitored closely when he had to relieve himself, and even tied during sex. Most of the time, he had little to no choice in the matter. The hunters had free will to do what they wished to him.

Ideally, Percy would like to avoid a punishment worse than that. But alas, Atalanta did not listen to his pleas.

“Yes, I would be punished… for a time.” Atalanta said in acceptance. “But you, Percy… Seeing you punished would make it worth bearing.”

Then she turned towards Historia who had been sitting quietly on the mat, afraid to get close to Atalanta. She tugged her up by the dress despite Percy’s protest, and stared her directly in the eye. “I almost forgot about you little girl. Don’t think you’d be able to get away with this.” Atalanta spoke with a sneer, “So, did you lose your maidenhead last night, Historia?”

Historia gave a shy nod, a small blush creeping up on her cheek.

“I hope you understand, but I must check personally to make sure you’re not lying.” Atalanta said unapologetically.

Historia looked towards Percy with a scared look, but before she could react, Atalanta had stuck her hand down the front of Historia’s leather pants. Historia yelped in pain as Atalanta’s cold fingers began probing ruthlessly at Historia’s folds and nub. It wasn’t at all similar to how Percy had touch her last night. Whereas Percy was gentle and slow, Atalanta was forceful and cruel, sticking her fingers deep within Historia’s core. Tears began welling in Historia’s eyes at the stinging pain and Percy moved to stop Atalanta.

He grasped her arm and placed himself between the two girls, his body acting as a shield for Historia. However, Percy was still undressed and it gave Atalanta exactly what she wanted.

She slowly licked the fingers that had been inside of Historia, watching the reaction on Percy’s face. “She may have lost her maidenhead,” Atalanta started, “But she’s still as tight as a virgin.”

That got the result Atalanta was looking for. From their close proximity, Atalanta could feel Percy’s hardness growing against her leg. Smirking, she reached down and grabbed his manhood, squeezing harshly with her hand.

Percy winced from the pain and tried to pull away from Atalanta. However, her grip held strong, and the slight tug only made the grasp more painful for Percy. His face reflected his misery even though his manhood remained as hard as a rock.

Seeing Percy’s pain and suffering, Atalanta was aroused even more. She raised her hand to slap Percy across the cheek, but Historia stepped in before she could and held her arm back from doing so.

“Stop! Can’t you see that you’ve hurt him enough?” Historia exclaimed. “He’s never done anything to you, and yet you’re being cruel to him.”

Atalanta shifted her focus from Percy to Historia and looked at her in surprise. She’d not expected such an outburst from the girl and was shocked momentarily to stillness. However, that did not last for long. She backhanded Historia hard across the face, throwing her towards the ground. Percy tried to fight back, but his strength had been depleted from years of malnourishment and restraints. Atalanta overpowered him easily, and began choking him by his throat. Percy tried to pry her fingers off to no avail, while Historia screamed for Atalanta to stop.

The small commotion had caused the nearby hunters to be aware of the incident within Historia’s tent. They slowly gathered around but refrained from entering, unsure of the situation. When Frieda squeezed her way through the small crowd, her eyes widened at the sounds coming from Historia’s tent.

She had been worried for her sister last night. Frieda had tried all she could to sooth her, but Historia had still been terrified and Frieda didn’t blame her. Losing a maidenhead could be a frightening and painful experience. Seeing Historia’s tears broke Frieda’s heart. She had tried her hardest to protect her little sister from the world, but this was not a burden she could bear for her. Every hunter had to serve her duty to humanity.

She remembered her time with Percy about a month ago, fairly soon after they joined the hunters. He had been quiet and gentle, allowing her to take control. Freida had enjoyed her time with him and had hoped to have something more than just a one time dutiful passion for breeding. She had been lonely too her entire life, and after the plague had hit, it was only her and Historia in the world. She had longed to feel another’s touch and love, and wished to visit Percy once again, but she had seen the scars over Percy’s torso, the marks left by some of the other hunters. Percy had tried hard to hide it, but Frieda could sense the slight misery in his eyes. So she had finished quickly and left without a word.

Frieda had only prayed that Percy didn’t take advantage of Historia’s inexperience or try to exact revenge by taking his anger out on Historia. He had been gentle with her, and Frieda hoped that meant he would take care of Historia as well. But a girl’s first time is still painful, no matter how gentle the coupling was, and Frieda wanted to comfort her sister first thing in the morning.

Instead, what she found when she stepped in the tent was a terrible scene. The commotion came to a sudden silence as she entered the tent, the figures freezing in their stances. Frieda’s eyes scanned the tent in confusion. Historia laid in the corner of the tent, while Atalanta had her hand wrapped around Percy’s neck, overpowering his fruitless struggling. Frieda’s eyes lingered on Percy’s undressed state for a fraction of a second before looking away.

“What’s going on here?” Frieda asked in an authoritative voice. Her father had called it her Queen’s speech. When Frieda spoke, her voice commanded attention and respect from those around her. It had very little use now that everyone was dead, but in Historia’s tent at that moment, no one dared to move a muscle.

“Frieda, please make her stop. She’s hurting him.” Historia pleaded.

Frieda moved her eyes to her sister and saw an red handprint on her face along with a small slash across her cheek. Atalanta had not only hurt Percy, but she had harmed her sister as well. And that was something Frieda could not forgive.

“Let go of Percy” Frieda warned in a low voice, “We’ll settle this outside.”

Atalanta sensing the situation was not in her favor at the moment, released Percy reluctantly. Tossing him easily into the corner of the tent with Historia. Her eyes remained on Frieda, ready for any sudden actions.

Frieda, however, was not ready for Atalanta’s. As she turned to walk out of the tent, Atalanta pounced quickly and tackled her by the waist, both crashing out of the tent. The hunters who had gathered outside gasped at the sudden movement. They stood rooted to their spots, none of them knowing how to solve the conflict.

Frieda and Atalanta began rolling around in the dirt, trying to wrestle each other into submission. All of this was creating an even larger commotion in the camp. Screaming and yelling could be heard as Frieda and Atalanta both slipped in punches and elbows, each not showing their opponent any mercy.

Percy soon followed out the tent, dressed in his shirt and pants. His appearance shocked the hunters even more, many had never seen him outside of his tent.

He rushed forward to try to break the fight between Frieda and Atalanta, but only received an elbow to the nose for his efforts. Blood quickly started spurting out as he fell backwards to the ground. Historia rushed to his side to make sure he was alright.

Before the fight could escalate even more, a loud voice rang out across the camp. “Enough!” Artemis yelled as she appeared on the scene. Many of the hunters standing by idly quickly scattered and went to attend their own duties. Frieda and Atalanta, too, had separated immediately. Even though Frieda was new to the hunt, she had quickly learned to follow Artemis’ orders instantly. Something about the women just gave off an air of authority, much more commanding than even her own.

They all looked towards Artemis and flinched at the expression on her face. Her eyes were brimming with rage, and that never ended well for the person on the receiving end of that rage.

“All of you, in my tent. NOW!” Artemis barked before stalking away with her Lieutenant in tow.

Her voice promised that another word or misstep out of the four of them would bring dire consequences, on top of the punishment they were sure to receive already.

Silently, Percy, Historia, Frieda, and Atalanta made their way towards Artemis’s tent, dreading the confrontation with their mistress.

* * *

 

“Now tell me. What the hell is going on?” Artemis interrogated the four people seated across from her at the table. Zoë stood off to the side of the Artemis, her eyes sneaking glances at Percy and her mistress.

At once, all hell broke loose within the tent as all four voices tried to talk over each other to explain their part.

“One at a time.” Artemis growled in a low voice. “You go first.” She said, looking in Atalanta’s direction. “What happened?”

“Historia had freed Percy from his restraints, m’lady. I caught him in her tent early this morning, and I had only been trying to return him back to his tent.” Atalanta explained.

Artemis’s eyes widened as she turned towards Percy and Historia. “Is this true, what she says?”

They gave a solemn nod in response, deciding the truth would be a better option with Artemis.

“Need I remind you what the consequences are if you try to escape, Percy?” Artemis asked, “I’d thought you would’ve remembered after last time, but it seems I wasn’t strict enough.”

“I wasn’t trying to escape.” Percy pleaded, “Back then or now.”

“Then what were you trying to do?” Artemis questioned.

“I…” Percy paused sneaking a small glance at the woman besides Artemis. He hadn’t seen her in nearly two years. After the incident, he had just wanted to talk to her, and hold her within his arms, and comfort her. He had longed to see her again, but she never came to him. The longing had caused him to foolishly sneak out in the middle of the night and seek her out himself. Now seeing her again besides Artemis, Percy didn’t know what to say. “I just… I needed to do something.” Percy answered quietly.

In truth, Artemis had understood his intentions from the beginning. Seeing the glances between Percy and her Lieutenant only confirmed her suspicions. After the terrible incident two years ago, the two had never reconciled despite obviously still holding deep feelings for each other. And deep down, Artemis regretted what she did to Percy.

She knew Percy was perhaps the most important person in the entire hunt, and yet she had put chains on him locked him up like some slave. After his first escape attempt, she’d been so scared of losing him, that she’d consented to her hunters suggestions of restraining him at all times. That had obviously taken a deep enough toll on Percy that he’d tried to escape for real this time around.

“It was my fault.” Historia spoke up in a small voice.

Artemis looked up in surprise. She had not expected the little girl to speak during this ordeal. She was a quiet girl, terribly shy and insecure to begin with. After their initial introduction and meeting, Artemis couldn’t recall another interaction with her individually. In the back of her head, she had recalled Zoë informing her of the girl’s first time last night, but she had not paid it much mind at the time.

“What do you mean?” Artemis asked.

“I cut his ropes.” Historia answered in a shaky voice. Despite her bravery to speak up and admit the truth, she was still scared of Artemis’ reaction. “It wasn’t Percy who tried to escape. I let him go last night.”

“And why would you do that?” Artemis questioned, more out of curiosity than anger at this point.

“Be-because, you all treat him like a slave. You have him tied up in a tent alone all day. But not only that, he’s beaten bloody and whipped. No one should have to go through that after already suffering so much in this cruel world. It’s not right!” Historia exclaimed emphatically, her voice increasing in volume as she continued. She let her anger out in each word, her small frame carrying so much passion. She had never fought so hard for anything in her life. But for Percy, she would fight Artemis on this.

Instead Artemis developed a bewildered look on her face. Atalanta had slowly sunk lower into her seat in an attempt to hide herself, but Artemis was too occupied to have noticed.

“Beaten? Whipped?” Artemis frowned in confusion. “Percy hasn’t been tortured. His only punishment was being restrained to his tent.”

Historia could hardly believe that not even their mistress knew of the twisted activities that happened in Percy’s tent. That had only increased her anger.

“When’s the last time you’ve checked on Percy?” Historia asked. “You don’t even know what’s happened to him.”

She lifted Percy’s shirt to reveal the terrible scars and wounds littered across his body. There were more red marks than skin on his torso. Just one quick glance and anyone could tell that Percy was in terrible shape.

Percy grasped Historia’s hand gently to loosen her grip and pulled down his shirt to conceal his body.

“But Percy…” Historia protested.

“It’s alright, they don’t hurt anymore.” Percy reassured Historia in a quiet voice. They shared a tender moment despite the situation. Percy’s hand was warm as it held on to Historia’s long after she let go of his shirt.

Artemis, however, was in a much different state. She had only a quick glimpse, but her eyes had widened in horror at what she saw. His torso was no better than that of a flayed man. Skin was missing all over his chest and shoulders. She knew that her hunters took certain liberties with Percy and had turned a blind eye towards them. If it made sex more enjoyable for the hunters, then it would encourage them with the breeding, was Artemis’s thought. But to think they would go as far as to torturing him, she felt sick to her stomach.

She placed her head within her hands and screamed internally at her mistakes. By trying to protect Percy, she had put him in even more danger, under her own watch no less. She stared up at Percy in remorse and only saw acceptance of his face. No anger or hate, just a man who’s come to terms with the suffering in his life. It made Artemis’s heart bleed even more at the realization. This has been happening for so long, that it’s been normalized for Percy.

The only thing Artemis could do was close her eyes to prevent the tears springing from her eyes.

Her Lieutenant beside her, however, was faring much worse. Zoë could hardly maintain her composure whilst standing beside Artemis. Her lips were slightly trembling and tears flowed freely down her face as she stared in horror at Percy. She felt a deep pain within her chest at seeing Percy’s condition. Zoë couldn’t help but think this was all her fault.

If she hadn’t been such a coward and faced Percy as she should’ve done, perhaps none of this would have happened. For two year, Zoë had been too afraid to see Percy and be confronted with her terrible mistake. And for two years, Percy suffered silently right beside her. They said that time heals, but after two years, the pain from the incident not only worsened, but now she carries the additional burden of this guilt.

All of this weight upon Zoë’s shoulders crushed her and brought her to her knees as she began openly sobbing. Percy looked on in sadness as well. He had not wanted others to carry this burden and had wished to keep his suffering to himself. Even after all these years, the feelings he had for Zoë had never gone away; his instinct still told him to protect her no matter what. Seeing her cry, even if it was for him, made his heart break.

After a while, Zoë’s sniffling finally came to a stop. She slowly wiped the tears from her face and she scanned the room until her eyes landed on Atalanta. By now, she had sunk so low into her seat, it looked like she wanted to dig a hole in the ground for herself. She knew she was guilty of everything Historia had said, and on the inside she knew she was a terrible person for what she did. She was a victim of the injustice of the world, and yet she turned around and became the culprit in another person’s life. She was the cause of injustice for Percy, and that fact, she realized now, sickens her to her stomach. There would be a terrible punishment awaiting her, and she would have to accept it without protest. Atalanta knows she deserves to be punished for her crimes, that was the only justice in her life.

Zoë, however, didn’t wish to wait for Artemis’s judgement. She stood up, marched over to Atalanta’s seat, and picked her up by the collar of her uniform. Zoë brought her up to eye level with the anger flaring in her eyes.

“Why did you do it?” Zoë yelled, as she began shaking Atalanta back and forth with both of her hands. Zoë’s strength allowed her to lift the girl slightly off the ground, but Atalanta stayed limp, allowing Zoë to shake her. She only held her head down in sorrow and muttered a quiet apology in Percy’s direction. Nothing could ever make up for the things she’s done to him, but she was sorry regardless.

“Zoë, let her go.” Artemis ordered. She truly did not know what to do. Everything had gone wrong so quickly, and the dilemmas she had earlier this morning were the least of her concerns now.

Zoë held onto Atalanta for a few more seconds, her face twisted in sorrow, before she released her and dropped her to the floor like a sack of grain. She slowly walked back towards Artemis’ side and regained her composure the best she could. She would still glance at Percy constantly with remorseful looks but was unable to meet Percy’s own eyes.

Artemis cleared her throat and began voicing her final decision on the matter. “Historia.” Artemis began, grabbing her attention. “For disobeying orders at the time, you’ll be punished with armory duties for the month.” Artemis said. She hated having to punish the girl, for she truly believes she did the right thing. But if she wished to be fair to the rest of her hunters, rules were rules. And breaking them would lead to a punishment befitting the crime.

Historia nodded her head in acceptance. The punishment was a light one, just extra chores added to her daily tasks.

Artemis then continued, “And likewise, Frieda, you’ll receive the same punishment for being involved in a fight. You may join Historia in your tasks.”

Frieda had also nodded her head in thanks and gratitude. It could have been much worse.

“Percy, for the actions of my hunters, I sincerely apologize.” Artemis said, bowing her head towards him. “From this day forth, you shall no longer be a slave to the hunt. You’ll be a member of us and enjoy the same freedoms.”

Percy looked on in shock, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth. He had expected a punishment for attempting to escape, and he had already been happy that Historia and Frieda had not earned serious punishments because of him. To regain his freedom within the hunt, he’d never thought he’d see the day.

“You’re expected to contribute to the hunt and attend to daily tasks and chores like the rest of the hunters. As well as your normal duties.” Artemis added as a reminder.

“O-of course, m’lady. Thank you.” Percy stuttered, unable to express his happiness and gratitude.

Artemis nodded before turning to the last member. She looked at Atalanta in sadness. She had remembered the early days of having Atalanta in the hunt. When Artemis had just rescued her, she had been less than eight years old, already abused and beaten down by this world. Artemis had taken the girl under her own wing, and forced her to see the light of day once again. To see Atalanta, whom she considers a daughter more than anyone else, in this position, it tore at Artemis’s heartstrings.

But like the others, she had to be punished, and her crime had been much worse than the rest. “Atalanta,” Artemis started, steeling her will to continue, “You’ll be solely in charge of all laundry duties for the next three months. On top of that, Percy will decide your punishments himself, he was the victim of your crime afterall. You are subject to whatever punishments he gives in the next month. Any objections or disobedience will lead to immediate expulsion and exile. Am I understood?”

“Yes, m’lady.” Atalanta responded, as she bowed her head. Her frame shook slightly from the sniffle of her silent cries and tears leaked through her shut eyes. She knew she deserved everything coming for her, but hearing her punishments still hurt like nothing else.

Artemis closed her eyes at the sight. I’m sorry Atalanta, that was the most merciful I could be.

“You’re dismissed.” Artemis uttered quietly to the four people sat across from her. She had kept her eyes closed and her head in the palm of her hand. She heard the sounds of four pairs of footsteps filing out of her tent before she let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding in.

After a moment of silence, she turned once again to her Lieutenant. “You must think I’m a horrible person, Zoë. If it wasn’t for my decision, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

Zoë only shook her head, “I’m at fault more than you are. If I had gotten the courage to talk to him, he wouldn’t have had to…” Zoë broke down towards the end.

“It’s not too late, you know.” Artemis suggested, “You need to go talk to him before you lose your chance forever.”

“He’ll never forgive me.” Zoë lamented. “Not for that incident, and not for ignoring him afterwards. I’ve already lost my chance.”

“Yes, he might never forgive you, but you still need to talk to him.” Artemis urged. “Percy is a kind man. Perhaps he’ll find it in his heart to forgive you, and maybe someday forgive me too. But you’ll never find out if you don’t talk to him. Trust me Zoë. Don’t live the rest of your life in sorrow and regret.”

Zoë pondered her mistresses words for a moment before finally nodding. 

* * *

 

(Two days later)

Well this should be everything, Percy thought as he finished setting up his new tent. It was a bright gold tent that was much smaller than the old one he was held in, but this tent felt much cozier from within.

The hunt had put his old tent to use immediately. They began using the large dome for storage, preparing for the long trip ahead of them. Artemis had made the announcement yesterday of their upcoming mission to find a new home. Many hunters had been shocked at having to uproot their life after four years, but seeing the general state of the camp and the lack of food, they knew moving would be their best option.

Percy turned his attention back to his new tent. He had just finished lining the walls and floors with fur skins and laid down a thick mat to serve as his bed. Percy smiled slightly; this was a very welcome change. Even though this set up was very temporary as they expected to begin their journey as soon as preparations were complete, Percy decided to still enjoy a couple days of his newfound lifestyle.

His tent had been situated along the edge of the woods near Historia and Frieda. It had been the only spot left in the clearing, but Percy would have chosen to stay next to them anyways. Frieda had come up to Percy after their meeting in Artemis’s tent and had thanked him for being gentle with Historia’s first time. Both Percy and Historia stood red faced in front of her, not sure what to say. But they had all become close friends after the incident. It had been Percy’s wish to camp beside them.

He looked around the tent and saw that while it was smaller and cozier than the other tent, it was still relatively empty compared to the other hunters’. He didn’t have any personal belongings when the hunters had found him, and when he was a slave, he obviously had no need for them.

That would have to change, Percy thought.

“Percy!”

He turned around at Historia’s voice as she walked into his tent. Percy gave a small smile at the girl; after their first night, they had truly grown fond of each other. They stayed together when they ate and walked around camp besides each other. They had even shared a few more sweet kisses, though nothing else had happened since their first night together.

“She wanted to see you.” Historia said, as she moved aside, revealing a second figure walking into the tent. Percy’s breath caught in his chest as he stared at the woman in front of him.

Zoë’s still as beautiful as always.

Her olive skin glowed prettily against the morning light. Her midnight black hair framing her face perfectly with a loose braid hanging down her left shoulder. She had a thin silver headband wrapped around her forehead, the vision of a princess with a tiara upon her head. Her eyes stared into Percy’s soul, and he couldn’t help but get lost within them. The tiny bits of light reflecting off her onyx black iris looked just like the stars in the night sky. He was reminded of the constellations he’d used to study on the sandy shores near his home. It was the first feature that made Percy fall in love with her. And after all these years, Zoë still managed to steal his breath away.

Zoë likewise stood frozen near the tent flap. She looked at Percy’s frame, thin and frail, a fraction of the size he’d been when he’d first been in the hunt. His hair was messy and unruly, not too different than it had been before. But it was his eyes that had struck Zoë the most. His sea green eyes that were both capable of seeing within someone’s heart and also display each and every of Percy’s emotion.

The look between them had conveyed more than any words could have. Historia understood the situation between the pair and retreated from Percy’s tent. “I’ll be at the armory if you need me, Percy.” Historia said quietly before stepping out.

Percy gave a small nod of gratitude before turning his eyes back to Zoë. There was so much both wanted to say, but in that moment, staring into each other’s eyes, both were frozen in silence.

All of a sudden, the dam broke within Zoë. Tears spurred from her eyes as her body began to shake uncontrollably.

In a small voice filled with fear, Zoë asked, “Do you hate me?”

Percy’s entire face softened at Zoë’s state. He stepped forward and wrapped her in his embrace, soothing her with his hand on her back. Zoë leaned into the hug desperately, trying to feel the warmth and safety she’d felt within his arms long ago.

It felt like home. She belonged in Percy’s arms, and to think that she’d destroyed what she had two years ago, it only made her cry harder.

“I could never hate you.” Percy whispered in her ear, brushing her hair behind it tenderly. “Remember our promise to always stay by each other’s side? I’ll never leave you alone in this world. I’ll always love you no matter what.”

Percy pressed a gentle kiss upon Zoë’s temple, trying to calm her tears. Zoë had only felt even more guilty at hearing Percy’s words.

Here he was saying he would never give up on her, and yet she had left him when they faced their first hardship. I must be a terrible human, Zoë thought.

Zoë buried her face into Percy’s body, crying into his chest. “I’m sorry,” came Zoë’s muffled voice, “I should never have left you.”

Percy pulled away slightly to look at Zoë. He tilted her chin up gently so she looked back at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” He said.

Zoë only shook her head. “No, I have to do this.” She insisted. “I’ll never be able to live with myself otherwise.”

Percy nodded slowly, allowing her to continue. Zoë took a deep, shaky breath before starting.

“I’m sorry I was selfish. I had only cared about my feelings, I didn’t stop to think how you would feel. I was drowning in my own tears and pity, and I isolated myself from everyone. But I should have never left your side. I should have come to you, we should have gotten over it together. It was not just my child, but our child. I should have taken your thoughts into consideration, but I was selfish and only listened to mine. I should have never gone on that stupid mission. I should have never kill our child…”

“Shhh…It’s alright. That’s all in the past now.” Percy whispered as he stroked Zoë’s hair softly. She had gotten more emotional as her confession went on, and she was seconds away from breaking down completely.

Percy was hardly faring better. The death of his unborn child from the last expedition in the woodlands had broken his soul. When he had heard the news from one of the hunters, he had nearly collapsed to the ground. He had needed to see Zoë, but she never came to visit him. The pain of his lost child coupled with Zoë’s absence had made his life miserable for a very long time.

But now, holding Zoë within his arms, Percy could only see a better future before them, having learnt from their past mistakes.

“I promise it’s not your fault, Zoë.” Percy assured, “I’ll be there to protect you this time.”

He stared into Zoë’s eyes once again as he wiped her tears away gently with his thumb, his palm caressing her face lovingly.

“Will you forgive me?” Zoë asked in a small voice, as she stared right back into Percy’s sea green orbs.

Percy closed the small distance between them and answered her with a tender kiss to her lips.


	3. Atalanta

A sharp clang rang out as steel met bronze in a loud clash. The sound cut clearly through the night air, echoing across the entire camp despite the commotion surrounding it. Hollers and chants could be heard by the huge crowds that had gathered around the training grounds, as they cheered on their champion. Many bets were exchanged prior to the fight, and yet, after nearly ten minutes of combat, neither fighter had a clear advantage.

It had been nearly a month since the hunt last had their gladiator fight, and this one was proving to be the best in recent years. Artemis had hated many of the brutish traditions of the old world; somehow the games and sports for men always meant the suffering of women and families. War was just another of man’s games in which Kings moved and sacrificed soldiers like chess pieces. Artemis absolutely detested that.

But she did keep the gladiator games as a tradition for the hunt. Once a month, two hunters would face off against each other using any weapon they wished. The rest of the hunt were allowed to make bets, though many had to be creative in doing so. Gold was of little use and significance to them. They had carried around a small amount in the first few years, but after realizing the entire world was pretty much dead, they had stopped carrying around gold altogether.

Instead, many hunters bet their food portions or chores. Many hunters who were stuck with laundry duty often used the gladiator games to get that task off their hands. It was by far one of the most difficult duties. It was time consuming, and washing the dirty uniforms and underclothes of about fifty hunters was as unappealing as it sounds. Fortunate for all of them, that had already been assigned to Atalanta as punishment. What was left were cooking and hunting.

After Artemis’ announcement of their mission three days ago, the hunt had finished packing up their camp. With all the preparations completed, they had decided to hold one last fight the night before they were set to leave.

It was a rematch of an exciting fight three years ago, and nearly every hunter partook in the bets.

Their training grounds had been used as a makeshift arena for their gladiator fights. It was a large ring with dirt grounds, surrounded by wooden posts that marked the boundaries of their fighting area. Outside of the circle, their were huge logs that served as the stands for spectators, from which many hunters sat at the edge of their seats screaming at the fighters.

It was on nights like these that even Artemis joined in the activities of her hunters. She looked at her hunt in amusement; their attitudes and excitement during these fights were a welcome change to the solemn faces she often saw around camp. For all that she hated the old world, it had a sense of normal and home, one which Artemis only ever saw nowadays on nights like these.

Artemis tried to feign disinterest in the fight and betting, but Zoë saw clearly though her facade. Her mistress kept her eye closely on the fight in the ring and was jumping on the edge of her seat with every close and exciting move. With all her experience throughout the years, even she could not determine a clear winner among the two. They were evenly matched, though Artemis suspected neither were even trying their hardest considering the smiles on their faces. For them, it was truly a game, and they were just having fun at doing something they loved. Artemis didn’t blame them. She, herself, felt the wonderful thrills of combat ― blood rushing through her veins and heart pounding wildly in her chest. She simply enjoyed the back and forth between the skilled fighters, each pressing for a slight advantage.

“Stop wasting time Thalia! Finish the fight! I’ve got a month of hunting duties riding on you, so you better not lose!” A voice yelled from the stands.

Her hunters obviously didn’t share her appreciation for the anticipation and wanted the easy returns on their bets. Artemis smiled in mirth as she recognized the voice in the stands. Despite nearly fifty hunters squeezed in around the ring, Phoebe still managed to stand out from the rest. She stood atop the logs and cheered louder than any of the other hunters.

Phoebe had been in the hunt for nearly as long as her Lieutenant Zoë, and she is, without a doubt, one of her strongest hunters. Both her and Zoë were more than capable of taking on two anointed knights by themselves, but where they shined the most was during a hunt. They’re nearly unmatched with a bow, and their daggers were equally deadly. Having been with Artemis for so long, they’ve both come close to surpassing her, though Artemis still slightly holds the edge.

While Zoë and Phoebe are certainly her best hunters, the best warriors in the hunt were standing within the ring.

Thalia was godlike with a spear and shield, but that should come as no surprise to anyone. Greek legends tell of Spartan warriors born with their weapons in their hands, and Thalia was certainly a natural with hers. However, what truly surprised Artemis was how far Thalia had surpassed her Spartan brethren.

While the Spartan phalanx was near unbeatable on the battlefield, what they truly prided themselves on was one-on-one combat. They were deadly warriors and fought with the strength of more than twenty soldiers. Thalia, however, was a different breed altogether. Not only was she deadly to foes, any friends that stood close also suffered an ill-fated death. The Spartans soon learned to clear a certain distance away from her when she went on her rampages. Any life within ten feet of Thalia was forfeit in the midst of battle.

Even though she had been trained and drilled at a young age to be the perfect Spartan soldier, Thalia fought with a style unique to herself.

Spartan children were taught to use their spears as pikes in their shield formations. It was an excellent weapon against charging infantry and even against cavalry. However, the spear was to be abandoned once the fight became one-on-one combat, and spartan soldiers were taught to use the xiphos ― a double-edged short sword that was easier to wield with close quarters and allowed them more mobility to stab and parry.

Thalia, however, refused to take to that logic. The spear had felt natural to her hands, almost like an extended limb, and so the weapon never left her hand. She twirled the spear around her body in ways other soldiers can never imagine or predict. She didn’t just stab and pierce, but she swung the spear in deadly and accurate arcs, easily slicing between armor and into flesh. No enemies truly got in close quarters with Thalia; the only bodies able to get past the length of her spear laid dead by her feet. Her fluid and bizarre fighting style had been so different than the uniform, drilled movements of Spartan combat that she soon stood out amongst the army. Enemies ran for their lives, away from the physical embodiment of death itself. “The Storm” she had been named, her spear flashing before an enemies eyes like a flash of lightning, leaving a path of destruction behind her.

Although Artemis had refused to fight in the Great Wars, she had been glad the Spartans had been allies for the sake of her family. She had seen Thalia slaughter scores of skilled soldiers in a battle without the blink of an eye. There had to have been a reason for the Spartans to accept a woman into their ranks, and Thalia showed that with her displays on the battlefield. The Spartans were a proud people ― proud of their traditions and masculinity. For Thalia to stand at the front of their armies spoke volumes about her prowess and skill.

The hunters had been in the Spartan peninsula when the plague hit, and Thalia had been the only one willing to leave her home. Thousands of women and children chose to stay and die in their lands, refusing to be buried away from their homes. Thalia had never felt much love for her country, other than the connection of her dead father. She had been an orphan who forced her way into their ranks through sheer will. No loyalty was lost to Sparta or its people.

Before long, Thalia found herself wandering the empty world alongside her newfound sisters. Never had she felt more at ease with a group of people, and the hunters truly made herself feel at home. Even though most of the world had died and they were the only ones left, Thalia felt she was happier with her new life.

Despite all that, she still held firm to some of the traditions of her old life, namely her fighting style. She continued to fight with a long spear, a large Spartan shield, and body armor, despite Artemis’s counsel. The fact that she was able to move just as efficiently and silently as the rest of her hunters, who wore much lighter gear, made it impossible for Artemis to force Thalia into hunter’s uniform. The only other people within the hunt that could hope to give Thalia a decent fight was Artemis herself and her opponent that currently stood against her within the ring. Not even her most skilled hunters, Zoë and Phoebe, would be able to stand this long against Thalia. Artemis looked onto the fight once again to see the fighters still locked in stalemate.

Thalia circled around the ring, mimicking her opponent’s steps. They both held their weapons ready, stalking around in a slight crouch and not giving the other an opening. Thalia smirked as her eyes stayed sharp on her opponent. She had not had a good fight in a long time, not since she fought this same opponent three years ago.

In truth, she held back some of her strength in hopes of drawing out this fight a bit longer. It was not often she was able to enjoy herself so much, but it seems the rest of the hunt was not enjoying this temporary stalemate. Evidently, judging from the cheers of the crowd around her, most of the hunters had hoped for a quick victory in her favor.

Perhaps it was time to end this fight. But even if she had been holding back, her opponent still won’t allow her an easy victory. At times, his quickness had caught her off guard even whilst she’d been under full awareness. Two years in chains didn’t wear away at his skills it seems, Percy was still one of the best fighters she’s met. He’s the only swordsman she’s fought that has shown her the advantage of swords over spears in short combat. None of the others were even close to being capable of challenging her, though Thalia suspected Percy would have an advantage over nearly everyone in the world with a sword in his hand. Like Thalia, Percy’s weapon moves fluidly in his hand, as if it was an extension of his body. Any of the wildness and unpredictability she possessed, Percy also had and more. If this had been a fair fight, she would have been in deep trouble.

“You got any left in the tank, Kelp Head?” Thalia asked teasingly. The nickname had stuck in the early years of the hunter’s expedition. They had been exploring near the cliffs of the Southern Peninsula before they came across a small cove by the sea. Unable to resist the temptation, Percy dove headfirst into the beautiful waters and came up with a full head of seaweed. Thalia had laughed for nearly two days straight, and the nickname had annoyed him to no ends ever since.

However, Percy was much too skilled and experienced a fighter to let an opponent distract him, and he kept his focus on Thalia. Although she tried to put up a facade of nonchalance, Percy could see the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead and the rapid rise and fall of her chestplate from her labored breaths.

It seems she hasn’t kept her body in shape either, though she still seems to be faring better. Percy thought as they continued circling each other. He grimaced internally as his muscles strained in its overuse. He was fortunate Thalia had no idea how weak he truly was, or else she would have overpowered him easily with brute strength alone. Percy did everything in his power to avoid slipping up and revealing his weakness, but as a result, his muscles were burning out rather quickly.

From his brief scuffle with Atalanta, Percy knew he lacked much of the strength he used to possess. His muscles, at least what he had left, were stiff and unused. In the three days since his release, he has done as much as he could to get food into his body and his joints moving again. He has regained most of his speed and quickness, and his instincts had clearly never left him. But without his strength, he would not be able to outlast Thalia like he had done the last time they fought. It had nearly been a stalemate, but in the end Thalia was the first to collapse to the ground.

That strategy certainly won’t work this time around. Thalia’s also way too cautious to fall for any of his tricks now; he had taught her in their previous fight that nothing is considered illegal amidst a battle, and that was a lesson she never forgot. A true fighter uses his surroundings and anything he could to his favor. But now in this situation, Percy’s teachings were working against him.

Suddenly Percy stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes in a small sigh. Thalia certainly got the better of him this time.

While on the other side of the ring, Thalia had frozen as well. She was slightly stunned at the blatant opening Percy was giving her to attack, but her caution for traps made her stay back in anticipation, not sure whether or not Percy was surrendering.

“Do you yield?” Shouted Thalia from her crouch behind her shield. She had assumed a full phalanx stance with her spear pointed at her enemy, and her eyes were the only part of her body peeking from behind her shield. She was ready for anything Percy dared to try.

“No” Percy answered from across from her. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to show you everything this time.”

Thalia waited in anticipation for Percy’s move, but she was still surprised nonetheless when he did. Percy reached back behind his shoulder and unsheathed a second sword strapped to his body. Thalia had assumed that the second sword was meant as a backup to the first in case it broke or was lost during the fight. Never would Thalia have suspected Percy was capable of wielding two swords at the same time, he never even gave a hint at being capable of doing so. No amount of combat experience could have prepared Thalia for her opponent now.

It’s one thing to fight against a wild and unpredictable style of sword wielding, but it’s a whole other case trying to fight an unknown art altogether. Thalia couldn’t remember ever reading about a famous swordsman who dual wielded longswords. If Percy is half as skilled with his left hand as he is with his right, Thalia stood no chance against him.

Before she could even fully comprehend what was happening, Percy was in front of her, hitting her with a flurry of strikes faster than the eye can follow. It was all Thalia could do to block with her shield. Percy’s strikes rang down mercilessly from all angles, and with a grunt, Thalia shoved Percy back slightly with her massive shield. Then with a quick spin towards her right side, she rotated her body full around and brought her spear in a massive arc, swinging horizontally across. It forced Percy to take a huge leap back lest he be sliced by the razor sharp point of Thalia’s spear that was made to both pierce and slash.

But the space didn’t last long as Percy quickly closed the distance between them with a few shuffles. Thalia tried a thrust this time aiming for Percy’s legs, but it was easily countered. Percy parried with his left sword while dodging sideways so that Thalia’s spear stabbed into the ground. Before she could retract her spear, Percy came down quickly with his other sword and struck Thalia’s spear hand hard with the flat side of his sword.

Thalia was forced to drop her spear as she clenched her hand in pain. Had that been a real fight, her hand would have been severed from her body. Even then, Thalia felt a couple broken bones within her hand from the hit.

All she had left now was her shield, and it stood little chance against Percy.

After a few seconds of dodging and backtracking, Thalia had been pushed to the edge of the ring with her back pressed against one of the wooden posts. She had nowhere else to run now and swung her shield around in a last attempt to catch Percy with a blunt hit. Percy easily sidestepped to his left and stepped within Thalia’s guard.

Percy held his swords up to Thalia throat in a crossed fashion, staring at her with a slight smirk in victory. “Yield,” Percy demanded.

Everyone had looked on in shock at the display. The crowds were silent, and Thalia herself still couldn’t fully believe what had happened. Artemis was on the edge of her seat, and watched with intrigue at the outcome. She had known Percy was more than capable of handling himself, but to be able to fight to this degree and skill, she couldn’t help but think what he could have been able to do for the hunt these past years.

Giving a small sigh of defeat, Thalia dropped her shield and yielded reluctantly. Percy had barely even used his dual wielding to its full effect. Against anyone without as large a shield as Thalia’s, Percy would be able to easily disarm his opponent within five seconds.

Thalia dropped her head in shame. She had been looking forward to this fight and her victory, but Percy somehow always managed to get the upper hand against her, even after being in chains for two years.

Slowly a deafening cheer rang out amongst the crowd led by a small group by Percy’s corner. Although many had lost their bets, it was one of the most intense fights they’ve ever seen. The few that had bet in favor of Percy cheered the loudest from the stands. Among them, Historia and Frieda looked on in both amazement and surprise at what they saw. Being new to the hunt, they had never witnessed Percy in action before. The display they saw that night only added to their bewilderment as to why Percy even allowed the hunt to restrain him in the first place.

But seeing his interactions with the Lieutenant, they had guessed that perhaps it was Percy’s choice to be chained up only to be able to stay within the hunt. There was a history between Zoë and Percy, one that was on a much closer level than between anyone else in the hunt. That was a certainty Historia and Frieda hadn’t needed to guess; one look up at where Artemis sat told the story clearly.

Zoë in her excitement from the fight had forgotten where she was and jumped up cheering loudly for Percy. While it was an unusual sight, most of the hunt seemed unsurprised by her reaction. Artemis had simply raised an eyebrow in amusement at her Lieutenant.

Seems old feelings never die away, and they’ve clearly made up their past mistakes judging by how much time they’ve spent together the last couple of days, Artemis thought fondly at her Lieutenant, perhaps I should ask her about the rumor of her leaving Percy’s tent early in the morning yesterday. The whispers among her hunters never escaped her ears, and this one had certainly caught her attention. Artemis could only imagine the cute blush on Zoë’s cheek as she stammers in denial at her questions. Artemis failed to suppress a small giggle at the thought; outwardly she and Zoë maintained a very professional relationship, but Artemis always loved to tease her Lieutenant as an older sister would.

Though, perhaps she would hold back this once. It’s been a long time since Artemis had seen that smile upon Zoë’s face, content now with Percy back in her life. She was happy for her little sister and promised to herself that this time she would protect Zoë no matter what.

Artemis then turned her attention back towards the two combatants on the fighting grounds. Judging by the scene in the ring, one would falsely assume the outcome of the battle. Percy had collapsed to the ground after Thalia yielded, utterly exhausted after the fight. Thalia, meanwhile, had recovered for the most part and stood over Percy’s body with a slight smirk on her face.

“Need a hand old man?” Thalia teased as she struck out her hand in an offer of assistance, “You look like absolute shit.”

Percy gave a short laugh at that. “This old man was still good enough to beat you.” Percy retorted causing Thalia to pout. He grasped Thalia’s hand gladly and pulled himself up, “You don’t look much better yourself.”

Thalia snorted as she helped Percy out of the ring. The pair had developed a sibling-like rivalry over the years. They were both competitive and excellent at what they did ― which was fighting. Although this was only their second fight officially, Artemis had no doubt they sparred against each other countless times in the past. Only the gods know who the victors were from those fights.

And it was this sibling rivalry that had made their first coupling so awkward. At first, they had not known what to do; both were shy and afraid to mess up the relationship they already established. But after they both relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed a toe curling night of passion, they were back to being their normal selves. They still bickered like children, only now they were able to enjoy incredibly hot nights of sex together. It wasn’t weird for them, nor did it feel forced. They were simply two individuals that enjoyed love making with each other, no feelings attached.

Seeing the excitement in the crowd finally start to die down as the fighters left the ring, Artemis stood up to speak to her hunters.

“Enjoy the rest of your night, hunters. Percy is declared winner of this gladiator fight, and all bets are expected to be paid effective immediately. I suggest you all to retire to your tents for the night and get a good sleep. We leave at sunrise tomorrow, and I do not wish to have to leave anyone behind.”

“Yes m’lady.” The hunters responded in unison as they began making their way back to their tents.

Many of them knew the importance and implications of this upcoming mission. They would have to be on full rest and awareness for their trip; there were dangers and mystery lurking out in the wild, and any moment in unknown territory was a deadly one. Artemis suspects that not all of them would be able to complete this mission alive. It would require a near miracle to have all of her hunters in tact by the time they found a new location to settle.

Her hunters had sensed some of the anxiety from their mistress. This world had changed drastically, not just from the plague that hit seven years ago, but also since they had settled in their current clearing four years ago, long after the plague had already devastated the world. When they had settled in this area with Percy, the wild was generally still a safe and easy place for the hunters to hunt. But as the years progressed, the wilderness grew more dangerous, as the longer humans were gone, the more wild nature became. This was evident in the thick woods near their camp. What used to be a fertile hunting ground had turned into a death trap for the hunters. No longer did Artemis send out expeditions into unknown territory for they would surely result in casualties. This large mission that they’d planned ― bringing the entire hunt back into the wild ― was an extremely risky one, and the hunters all went to bed knowing that danger.

While the hunt all loved each other like sisters, they all hoped that it just wasn’t them who’ll fall before seeing their new home. 

* * *

 

It was nearing midnight as the leaves from the trees and bushes whistled from the harsh winds streaming by. It was a different cold than the previous nights that had seen inches of snow; instead, this biting wind cut harshly through the body and froze right to the bones. The trickling sounds of water flowing in a small stream was the only sound permeating throughout the night.

It was one of the only water sources left near the hunter’s camp. Its temperatures reached far below freezing and the slow movement of the stream was the only thing preventing the water from turning to ice.

Unfortunately, the stream had flown through what was used to be a contaminated swamp. Large animals that had drank the water from it died within days of disease. Even though the swamp had frozen over, Artemis didn’t want the risk of disease within her hunt, so they refrained from using the water of the stream for drinking.

However, that didn’t mean the water wasn’t good for other purposes.

A small splash in the water was heard followed by a series of scratching. Atalanta crouched by the stream, scrubbing away at a pair of uniforms before dipping it back into the water and hanging it on a drying rack. She had been working on the laundry since nearly midday, and she had lost feeling in her hands long ago. Her brain had also began to tire as she numbingly continued on with the terrible chore. At times her eyes drooped dangerously low, threatening to wander off into the realm of unconsciousness, but she had forced herself to snap awake. She couldn’t fall asleep before her task was finished. Artemis would not take lightly to an unfinished chore, especially before such an important day such as the mission tomorrow. Atalanta had to finish this before sunrise.

But looking at the scene before her, she couldn’t help the tears that welled in her eyes. She had already finished four large bags of clothing and they now lay on racks by the fire for drying. They had taken more than three hours each to complete, and now she had finally started on her last bag. At best, it would take her two more hours to complete her task, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to last until then.

Once again, she cried silently at the situation. The tears that flowed down her face froze before it even reached her chin, and Atalanta didn’t bother wiping them away. She had never had been responsible for laundry duties. The times that she was assigned to them, she had always gotten away with a lucky bet. This task was meant for three people, and even then, it took nearly five hours to complete. To complete it all by herself was truly a hard punishment.

Atalanta slightly stiffened as her mind registered the sound of footsteps approaching from behind her. Most likely it was Zoë who had come to make sure she had been diligent with her task. Atalanta closed her eyes and only scrubbed more furiously at the clothes. If only she hadn’t been so stupid and selfish. She knew how important Percy was, not only to the hunt but to Zoë as well and she still chose to hurt him. Even though she knew this was punishment for her own crimes, she still cried at the unfairness of it all.

But instead of the accusing voice she had expected from Zoë, Atalanta felt a pair of warm hands close around her own, halting her movements. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see Percy before her.

“W-what are you doing here?” Atalanta questioned. He was the last one she had expected. Atalanta had assumed that after he had regained his freedom, he would want nothing to do with her or even be within her vicinity.

“I didn’t see you at the fight,” Percy answered in a gentle voice, “And then I got worried. I heard you started your punishment tonight, and I wanted to come check on you.”

“Well is this what you wanted to see?” Atalanta asked harshly as she turned her face away from Percy to hide the tears spilling from her eyes, “I’m sure you’ve wanted revenge for all the things that I’ve done to you, so here it is. Are you enjoying it now?” Atalanta could hide the tears from Percy, but she couldn’t hide the hiccup in her voice.

Instead of answering, Percy only knelt next to her, grabbed the next uniform, and began rinsing it through the stream. Atalanta turned around at the sound and froze at Percy’s actions. She couldn’t believe that not only was he willing to check on her, but he also decided to help her. Percy, the man whom she had nearly tortured to death, was kneeling beside her, helping with her punishment.

“W-why are you helping me? After all that I’ve done” Atalanta whispered emotionally. Not even her own sisters chose to help her.

“Lady Artemis only said you were in charge of laundry duty for the next three months, she never said you had to do it alone.” Percy said as he continued working away at the clothes in a fast pace. “I’ve done this before… no one should have to do this alone.”

Atalanta let her tears continue to fall, this time out of relief as she went back to scrubbing. Her hands were blistered and cut all over, but the pain and bleeding had stopped bothering Atalanta as she’s lost all feeling in her hands. Small pieces of ice started to flow on top of the slow stream now, and in a couple hours the water would completely freeze over.

Luckily, they were able to finish the last of the clothes within the hour. Percy’s experience had him working at nearly twice the pace of Atalanta, and they quickly hung the last bag of uniforms on the rack to dry.

Atalanta had collapsed to the ground besides Percy, physically and emotionally drained from a long day of labor. She had never been so relieved at finishing something, but at the same time, the thought of doing this for the next three months made Atalanta drown in misery. She didn’t even want to think ahead to the next time she had to wash the entire hunt’s clothing.

Percy reached a hand down to Atalanta, and she gladly accepted, pulling herself up to her feet with the last bit of her strength. If she could just make it back to her tent right now…

“By the gods! Your hands are freezing!” Percy exclaimed loudly, “How long have they been like this?”

“I-I don’t remember” Atalanta answered, the hours had blurred as it felt like an eternity.

“Let’s get you back inside before you freeze to death.” Percy looped his arm around Atalanta’s waist and propped her up by the shoulders. The pair made their way back to the main campsite and trekked towards the tents in the far corner.

By now, most of the other tents used by the hunt for the dining hall, infirmary and armory have all been taken down and packed. The only remaining tents had been the hunter’s personal tents, which were also to be packed in the morning before their mission.

Atalanta had closed her eyes and simply let Percy lead her towards her tent. Before long, they finally stopped, and she opened her eyes to see the bright gold fabric of a tent that was certainly not her own.

“What are you doing? This isn’t my tent.” Atalanta asked confused.

“I know,” Percy answered, “But I can’t leave you by yourself or you’ll lose feeling in those hands forever when you wake up in the morning.”

He brought Atalanta into his tent and gently laid her on his sleeping mat and went to sit beside her. Percy looked her in the eyes for a moment before grabbing her hands in his own. He began moving her fingers and joints to prevent them from stiffening up. With the amount her nerves in the hand, some had probably already been damaged from the cold. But if he didn’t treat her hands quickly, she could risk losing it entirely.

Percy then started to gently rub his hands along Atalanta’s, trying to regain some of the feeling and control back in her hand. He couldn’t place her hands over a fire either as the sudden change in temperature would be extremely painful. When Percy finally started to see Atalanta’s fingers twitch and wiggle slightly, he blew a sigh of relief. At least some of the nerves in her hands were functioning.

He then cupped her hands gently in his own and brought them to his lips. Blowing out slowly from his lungs, his began warming up her hands with his breath. Percy alternated between that and gently rubbing her hands, and after a while, they were in a much better condition than before.

Atalanta only stared at Percy with an unreadable expression on her face as he worked attentively at her hands. She’d truly never had someone be so gentle and kind with her, and for it to be the person she was so cruel to, Atalanta couldn’t forgive herself. Guilt started to bubble within her once again as she thought of all the things she had done to Percy.

As if reading her thoughts, Percy looked up to her eyes and gave her a small smile. “How do your hands feel now?” Percy asked.

“I-it’s warm.” Atalanta answered in a small voice, not trusting herself to keep the tears at bay if she continued talking.

“That’s good if you could feel through your hands.” Percy said reassuringly as he continued his attention towards Atalanta’s hands that were slowly starting to thaw.

“I’m sorry…” Atalanta whispered, “I never meant to… You’ve never done anything to me, and all I’ve done is hurt you. And yet, you’re helping me… Why?”

“You’re a kind person at heart, just someone else who’s been given the short end of the stick in this world,” Percy started, “I could see it in your eyes. You love your sisters and Artemis, and you don’t intend to harm me, not truly. You see someone else when you’re with me; your eyes are slightly haunted, almost like you’re living in a moment from your past.”

Atalanta looked away from Percy to hide her reaction from the truth of his words. She hadn’t thought anybody would find out about her twisted past. It’s just that Percy reminded Atalanta so much of him, that everytime she brought him pain and caused him to scream, she couldn’t help but feel a wonderful sense of pleasure despite how hard she tried to stop herself. Getting revenge on her past abuser was a desire that controlled Atalanta’s life like a slaver, and Atalanta had forced that fantasy through Percy.

She felt disgusted with herself. Percy would never forgive her… Artemis would never forgive her… She would never forgive herself.

But Atalanta felt a small squeeze of her hands as her attention was brought back to Percy. “It’s alright,” Percy said quietly, “I’m not saying what you did was right, but you deserve someone by your side through your pain. I’ll be here for you.”

Atalanta couldn’t stop her tears this time, as Percy’s words hit the center of her heart. That was all she had ever wanted, her entire life. Atalanta just wanted someone by her side to comfort her, and hold her, and tell her everything would be alright. Seeing Percy’s kind and forgiving eyes in front of her, Atalanta broke down.

Percy reached up to caress Atalanta’s face to sipe away her tears, but his eyes widened in alarm when he touched her face. Her skin was nearly as cold as her hands, and Percy just noticed the tinge of blue upon her lips.

“Are you alright Atalanta?” Percy asked worriedly.

Sniffling through her tears, Atalanta said, “I just feel a little dizzy now.”

Percy uttered a quiet curse as he began to feel for the temperature of her skin down her face and neck. His hands had felt extremely warm against her skin.

“Atalanta, listen to me, focus on my voice.” Percy began seriously, “You’re suffering from hypothermia, I need you to take off your uniform before you pass out.”

Her eyes had a dazed look as she swayed slightly in her delirious state. Despite her condition, she still held her dark sense of humor. “I didn’t know you were like that Percy. Taking advantage of a defenseless girl? How unnoble of you.” Atalanta let out a small giggle at the thought, but began undressing nonetheless. If she was to succumb to hypothermia, at the least she could enjoy the feel of love one last time.

Percy, however, didn’t see the humor of the situation. “There’s no time for that.” Percy admonished sternly despite the blush he had began sporting at Atalanta’s comments and her state of undress. “You need as much warmth as possible, or else I’m not sure you’ll wake up again after you fall unconscious.”

Percy hurriedly went to help Atalanta undress after he had slipped all of his clothes off. When he had finished stripping off both of their clothing, Percy climbed into his bed beside Atalanta and pulled the covers over their naked bodies. He brought Atalanta close towards him and pressed every inch of her body against his, hoping his own body heat would be enough to save Atalanta. Percy tried to ignore the feel of her breasts pressing softly against his chest and the growing hardness of his manhood that slid next to Atalanta’s mound. He simply focused on the cold from her body and held her tighter with his arms around her.

“It’s so warm,” Atalanta sighed, as she developed a content look on her face despite her red eyes and the trails of tears marking her face.

Percy smiled slightly as he brushed the dark brown hair out of Atalanta’s face and behind her ear. She was an extremely beautiful woman when she wasn’t being cruel, and Percy couldn’t deny the adorable innocent look on her face as she snuggled closer to his warmth.

Atalanta closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with the image of a pair of sea green orbs in her mind. 

* * *

 

The entire room shook as the door slammed shut against the frame with a thud. The walls of the run down house rattled wildly and the ceramic jugs swung dangerously on the table. There wasn’t a day that passed without something breaking in their home, and that day he had come home especially drunk off ale.

Atalanta huddled in the corner of the room, hugging her knees to her small frame in an attempt to hide herself. She was visibly shaking in fear as she heard the man’s footsteps echo around the small house looking for her.

It didn’t take long for the man to find her, and when he did, he was less than pleased. The man stopped before Atalanta and tugged her up roughly by her hair, bringing her close to his face which sported a terrible sneer.

“What did I say about trying to hide from me?” He had pulled her hair back, forcefully tilting her head up to meet his gaze. She tried struggling against his hold, but her small hands did little to release the iron grip he held on her hair. “I expected dinner by the time I got home today. Do you know how hard it is to be working the fields all day and come home to an empty table? Your mother was a usless bitch, but at least she knew how to cook.”

He threw Atalanta harshly to the kitchen floors, her head slamming against the ground. Her vision blurred and the impact against the ground nearly knocked the breath out of her. Her body screamed in pain, but she knew not to make any noise. She had learned that lesson the hard way. After the neighbors had heard her cry one time and came to check on them, she had received an extremely harsh beating afterwards.

Atalanta didn’t understand why all of this was happening to her. Ever since her mother had left a year ago, life had been worse than hell for her. She had turned nine a few days ago, but her only birthday wish had not been granted. She just wished to have her mother back.

Rising up slowly from grounds, Atalanta stood on wobbly knees. “Where’s mommy?” Atalanta asked through her tears.

She knew the moment the words left her mouth that it had been the wrong thing to say. It somehow angered him even further as he swung his hand across and backhanded her with a slap, sending her to the ground once again.

“You trying to mock me?” The man snarled, “Not only did that whore leave me for another, but I have to come home everyday to deal with a girl like you...Why do the gods have to be so cruel?” His words had began to slur the more the ale had taken over his mind.

“Maybe I should teach you a lesson about asking about your mother. She never loved you… or me. That bitch was only good for two things, cooking and…” He trailed off as his eyes raked over Atalanta’s body. “You grown more and more like your mother, did you know that? Perhaps you’ll be of some use to me afterall.” He said as a sick twisted smile appeared on his face.

He pushed Atalanta’s down into the ground, his large hands holding her head completely still. With his other hand, he tugged her skirt and underclothes down violently, tearing the fabric in his roughness.

Atalanta closed her eyes in a silent cry as she braced herself for another beating. Angry red marks marred the pale skin of her buttocks from his previous lashing. The pain had lingered, still stinging every time she took a seat. This beating would no doubt leave plenty of marks on her as well.

Tears flowed out of her shut eyes, and Atalanta clenched her teeth, waiting for the stinging pain to come. Instead, Atalanta only heard the sound of strings unlacing behind her as she felt something hard poke against her back.

The pain she felt had been worse than all of her beatings combined as something pushed inside of her. It was as if a sword had been plunged between her legs, splitting her in half.

This time, she couldn’t stop the screams that escaped her mouth, but the sounds were muffled by the ground that her mouth had been shoved against.

She had still managed to scream her throat hoarse. After a while of the blinding pain, Atalanta had fallen limp against the cold floor, the only sound coming out of her was her quiet sobs and sound of skin slapping against her behind. She had all lost all of her other senses, and the only thing that remained was the pain.

After a while, she had been flipped around roughly and she caught a glimpse of the source of her pain. An angry rod was pushing within the folds between her legs, stretching her to the limit. She had nearly thrown up at the sight. But the image that would haunt the rest of her days was the black hair and twisted green eyes of her father hovering on top of her. 

* * *

 

Percy awoke to a weight shifting on his chest. He blinked his eyes slightly to adjust to the darkness in his tent, and saw Atalanta still sprawled on top of him. Her body temperature had finally returned to normal as Percy no longer felt a cold mass pressing against him. He breathed a sigh of relief. She would be fine by the morning.

But then, he noticed something else wrong with Atalanta. Her body was moving nervously, as if struggling in her sleep. Her eyebrows her scrunched in pain, and the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead mixed with the tears leaking from her eyes.

She was having a terrible nightmare.

Percy shook her shoulder gently to try to rouse her from her sleep but it seemed to only make things worse. Atalanta curled tighter into herself and began muttering quietly in her sleep.

Percy was only able to make out a couple words. “No… please stop.” Atalanta sniffled quietly, “It hurts, father... Please...”

Percy’s eyes widened in realization and horror as he began to shake Atalanta’s shoulder a bit harder to bring her out of her terrible hell. “Atalanta, wake up!”

Her eyes snapped open to see green eyes staring right back at her, and Atalanta screamed in fear. She scrambled up quickly and scurried to the corner of the bed to get as far away as possible. Her eyes held a haunted look as she held her knees close to herself, curling into a tight ball in an attempt to hide herself.

Percy was at a loss for what to do. He sat up slowly to avoid spooking her any further and called out to her in a gentle voice. “It’s alright Atalanta, it’s just me… Percy.”

He raised his hands up slightly to show that he wasn’t a threat. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. Just look at me...please.”

Slowly, Atalanta raised her head and looked at Percy. She blinked a couple times and the haze in her eyes was gone. Whatever ghost from her past she had seen disappeared with it. Percy was glad that she had finally snapped out of it. Moving slowly to the corner of the bed where she had curled, Percy wrapped the blanket around her shivering shoulders in comfort.

“You have nothing to be afraid of, Atalanta.” Percy reassured. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

“You can’t...” Atalanta began in denial. She had long lost faith in the world. No one could protect her, no one can protect anyone. That’s just the way the world worked, and she seemed to always be on the suffering end. But seeing the sincere expression on Percy’s face and the determined look in his eyes, Atalanta couldn’t help but believe in his words. It had been so long since she had hoped, her innocence and dreams long since crushed by the cruel world and her father.

In the end, she was only able to utter a “thank you” in response and leaned in slightly into the comfort of Percy’s arms.

The pair sat in unmoving for a while, enjoying the silence of the wee hours of the morning. It would be a couple more hours until sunrise and their mission, and if they’d wished, they’d still be able to get some rest before they were forced to wake. However, after all the events of the night, neither were capable of falling back to sleep.

Instead, they just enjoyed the strange sense of comfort between them despite their state of undress. Percy was the first to break the silence.

“Do you want to talk about it? It’ll make you feel better to have someone to confide in.”

Atalanta stiffened slightly. So many times, she had wanted someone to help bear her burden, but she had always been afraid to let the other hunters in on her terrible history. Artemis had witnessed part of her past, and Atalanta hated the pitying look she received. Thus, she vowed to keep everything to herself, fighting off her nightmares and demons on her own. But as she looked in Percy’s eyes, she saw no pity or judgement. Only a sad acceptance for the world and an empathy for her. Atalanta needed to open her heart to someone, the feelings bottled up inside her were threatening to swallow her up in misery. And so she began…

Atalanta’s family had always been poor, but for a while, life had been good for them. Her father was a farmer who worked on the fields of a noble lord and her mother served as a handmaiden to the Lady of the castle. They didn’t hold much land except for the small house that they lived in, which had one bedroom and a small kitchen. Compared to the highborn, they were practically beggars on the streets, but none of them complained. They had food on the table, and were under the protection of a powerful lord. Her father had never been a loving man, but he treated her mother and Atalanta decently and sometimes even showed affection.

But that all changed when he started drinking. Atalanta’s father could never hold his liquor, but once he began, he was unable to control himself. What started as envy of the highborn soon turned into hatred of the world, of the unjust systems men were born into. And occasional drinks in the tavern turned into an everyday occurrence as her father stumbled into their house late at night everyday, bringing home with him his misery and anger. Her mother had urged him to stop once, getting into a huge argument one night, and that was when he hit her for the first time.

He had apologized immediately afterwards, blaming the ale for his attitude, and her mother had believed and forgiven him. But soon, even the beating became commonplace. Atalanta would always catch her mother crying silently in the bedroom after he had left for work. She understood very little at the time, but Atalanta knew not to anger her father.

After a year, her mother left one morning, without a word to her husband or her eight year old daughter. The word in town was that she had rode off with a wealthy merchant who was traveling by, and Atalanta never saw her mother again. Atalanta didn’t understand that at the time, and she waited everyday for her mother to come back.

Life only got worse for her after that. Her father had tried to ignore her for a time, but soon he started taking his anger out on Atalanta. It was only beatings in the beginning; he had enjoyed whipping her with his belt the most, and that was only after he had gotten tired of slapping her around. After a year of abuse, it took a turn for the worse one night when he raped Atalanta.

She hadn’t even fully understood what happened except for the terrible pain that hurt with every step she took. Atalanta had nowhere to run. Even if she could escape the house, she wouldn’t be able to make it more than a mile in her bruised body. Every night after that, Atalanta lost a piece of herself to the monster that was her father, and it wasn’t until weeks later did Artemis find her naked and bleeding by the porch of their house.

Her father had been especially angry that night and had thrown her out of the house after he had his way with her.

Atalanta finally broke down in tears as she let her memories catch up to her. She sobbed into Percy’s shoulder, and the only thing he could do was to hold her as she cried out her pain.

Rubbing his hand along her bare back soothingly, Percy did everything he could to comfort the girl that had suffered a terrible fate. It was a wonder that she was still able to live so bravely after everything that’s happened to her. That strength was something that Percy admired greatly.

Atalanta held on tightly to Percy’s body as she let her sobs die out. She pressed the side of her cheek into Percy’s chest desperately for the comfort he provided her, but she came face to face with the angry red marks that lined Percy’s chest. Atalanta was once again reminded of the terrible things she’s done to Percy, the same things her father had done to her. That was the reason she couldn’t forgive her actions; what happened to her was the last thing she would wish upon another, and yet she had personally done them to Percy.

As if reading Atalanta’s thoughts, Percy gently tilted her face up by the chin so that her eyes met tentatively. “Is that why you did those things to me?

“... Yes.” Atalanta closed her eyes in shame. She had denied the fact in her own mind for so long, but confronted by Percy, she couldn’t lie any longer, to him or herself. Admitting her actions had hurt more than she thought.

Torturing Percy while taking him against his will had brought Atalanta some twisted pleasure of revenge. It gave her a sense of justice in the world that had taken so much from her. If she closed her eyes, she could hear the scream and cries of her father coming from Percy’s mouth and it brought her a thrill no matter how much she tried to deny it.

“You look like him…you have the same eyes and hair,” Atalanta admitted, “I had imagined you were him when I hurt you. But it was wrong, I should have never…”

Atalanta trailed off, her guilt eating away at her every second. Now that she had a closer look, Percy didn’t look like her father at all. Whereas her father's eyes were slitted almost like a snake, Percy’s sea green orbs were wide and trusting, and Atalanta hated that she robbed him of that innocence and good. But it seemed that the good never left Percy as he sat beside her, comforting Atalanta from her own pains.

In truth, Percy hated seeing her like this, wallowing in her own guilt and sadness. It reminded him of Zoë’s guilt and Percy wanted so badly to make her feel happy once again.

“Would it make you feel better if I let you do that again?” Percy asked sincerely, “I could let you tie me up again, and I promise I won’t tell…”

“No!” Atalanta almost screamed in horror as she realized what Percy was saying. “I’ll never do that to you again. I thought it had made me feel better, but it only made everything worse seeing what I’ve done.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Percy asked.

Atalanta’s eyes darted around, unable to meet Percy’s before she finally answered in a small voice, “Do you think you can love me, just for one night? I know I don’t deserve it, but I just wanted to feel what it was like to be loved… just once.”

Percy gave a small nod in understanding as he pulled Atalanta gently towards his body. He looked into her eyes and saw a girl that was so vulnerable and broken that he just wanted to do everything to help her. So he showed her all the love that he could.

Percy gently kissed away the tears left on her cheek, and Atalanta closed her eyes at the soft attentions of his lips. Before long, their lips met in a slow and tender embrace. Atalanta moved slowly savoring the soft caresses and the taste of Percy on her tongue. This was so much better than the times she had shoved her tongue down his mouth. And to feel Percy’s tongue reciprocating and dancing with her own, she couldn’t help but moan softly into the kiss.

Percy kept his arms around her in a loving embrace, holding her body close to his own. Both of their bodies were still naked, and pressing against each other in the seated position, they felt the beat of each other’s heart pounding against their skin in harmony.

Finally the pair pulled apart to catch their breaths, and they shared a small smile between them. Atalanta’s cold heart slowly melted as she finally felt happiness again. There was love in this world, she had just been too stupid to see it.

“Do you trust me?” Percy asked kindly as their foreheads remained touching.

Atalanta looked into Percy’s eyes. She had wanted this badly, but she couldn’t help but hesitate at the thought of what her father had done to her. Forcing Percy against his will while he was in bondage had given Atalanta a sense of agency back in her life. But now that Percy was free of his chains and Atalanta no longer held the same power, she was afraid.

Despite her fear, Percy’s look calmed her as she nodded her consent. Deep inside, she trusted Percy to never hurt her, but her cynicism of the world was never fully gone. She decided to take a leap of faith this time and gave her heart and body to Percy.

Percy gave her one more tender kiss before he went to lie down on his mat. Hooking his arms underneath Atalanta’s legs, he gently brought her to a straddle above him. Atalanta looked down in surprise; she hadn’t expected Percy to give her the reigns. It instilled a bit of confidence back in Atalanta and encouraged her to continue.

However, Percy didn’t stop there, and what he did next shocked Atalanta even more. He continued to nudge Atalanta up his body until her legs came to a stop next to his head, and her mound rested above his mouth. Butterflies flew in her stomach in anticipation as waited for Percy’s next move.

Atalanta had always tried to ride Percy’s face, but he had never been willing. He always kept his mouth shut, and Atalanta had only his nose to use to get herself off. She longed to feel the soft wetness of his tongue against her folds, and when Percy finally did move, it completely blew her mind.

He reached up slightly and planted a gentle kiss on the lips between her legs. Just from that soft contact, Atalanta had nearly quivered in pleasure. Then he licked her folds, exploring around her entrance, tasting her own wetness from his attentions. This time, Atalanta let out a loud moan as Percy finally slid his tongue inside of her and began licking the walls of her inside. His nose was pressing teasingly against her nub that made her legs twitch in pleasure. She began riding Percy’s face slowly, unconsciously pressing her folds deeper into Percy’s mouth and building up the pressure within her.

She didn’t last much longer. With a sudden cry, she peaked against Percy’s mouth as she rode out her waves of pleasure. It had been a better orgasm than any of the previous ones she’s had riding Percy against his will, and she could hardly contain her tears at Percy’s loving embrace.

His arms were wrapped around her thighs, gently caressing them as his tongue continued to lap away at her peak. Atalanta gave a rare smile and bent down to kiss Percy on the lips.

They enjoyed another dance of their tongues before parting once again. Atalanta moved down towards Percy’s cock, which already stood hard as a rock. She grabbed his manhood gently and placed it near her entrance, sliding it along her folds to lubricate his tip. She placed it between her lower lips and slowly lowered herself onto Percy’s length. It filled her so completely and wonderfully that she didn’t know what to think.

There was no pain, only pleasure from having Percy’s cock within her. Slowly, Atalanta started moving her hip back and forth, causing Percy to moan out in pleasure. The sound delighted her, it was something she never heard before, and hearing Percy’s pleasure had only brought more happiness to her. She began riding Percy more feverently, her experience with this position and the feel of Percy quickly built up the tension within her once again.

However, she frowned slightly, quickly garnering Percy’s attention.

“What’s wrong, did I do something?”

“No! It’s just…” Atalanta stuttered nervously, “It feels like what I was doing to you before, riding on top of you against your will.”

“It’s alright,” Percy smile reassuringly, “You’re not forcing me to do anything right now. I want this as much as you do.”

Atalanta still didn’t continue. “D-do you think you could hold me while we do it?” She asked shyly.

Percy blinked up at her. “Of course.”

With his length still inside of her, Percy sat up slowly, propping himself up with one arm while his other wrapped around Atalanta’s waist.

They shifted slightly so that they both sat upright, facing each other with Atalanta’s legs wrapped around Percy’s. He kept one hand on her lower back, keeping up the rhythm of his thrusts, sliding his cock into her core. Percy’s other hand gently cupped Atalanta’s breasts, thumbing over her nipple teasingly.

This had an immediate effect on Atalanta as she began bucking her hips and tightening her legs around Percy. He reached forwards and kissed her on the lips. The feel of Percy’s tongue on her own while he thrusted into her was nearly enough to send her over the edge immediately.

She broke the kiss and wrapped her arms securely around Percy’s neck. She then held him tightly to her own body, pressing his chest against her soft breasts as their hips began to meet erratically from being on the cusps of orgasm. Atalanta felt Percy’s hands caress her back lovingly, and she felt the dam within her burst at his touch.

She held onto Percy for her life as her hip and legs began to quiver violently. Percy didn’t last long after that, the sight of Atalanta’s beautiful body peaking against his sent him over the edge as well. Percy grunted as he shot ropes of his seed deep inside of her.

Atalanta moaned as she felt the slight twitches of Percy’s cock within her, and they both collapsed back onto the mat with Atalanta laying on top of Percy. Their lips met in a passionate exchange, each savoring the wonderful taste of the other.

“Thank you,” Atalanta whispered breathlessly against Percy’s lips. She hadn’t truly known how much she craved the tender touch of a lover until she experienced it. Atalanta couldn’t help but shed tears in happiness at Percy’s love.

“I’ll always be here for you.” He whispered back.


End file.
